Location: Indiana

A digital ad campaign in 19 priority counties in Indiana shifted the target population’s perceptions of renewable energy. Voters were considerably persuaded by the “property tax” message (+12 percentage point increase in renewable energy support) and “lower electricity bills” (+6). There’s also modest improvement using the “reliability” message (+4). The “property tax” message in particular worked really well (+23) with MAGA Republicans.

Indiana voters have heard about renewable energy, but they are somewhat skeptical about its benefits. 9 in 10 Indiana voters have seen or heard something about renewable energy in the past month. Voters over 50 years old are more likely to have seen or heard something in the past month. Nearly two thirds of voters have at least some awareness of a renewable energy project being developed in their county. A plurality of voters believe that local renewable projects do more harm than good, while 28% of voters lack strong beliefs about the net benefits for local residents. Around half of respondents found all four messages persuasive but respondents were more skeptical of the messages suggesting lower electricity prices and taxes. Republican and Independent voters find the ‘Reliability’ message most persuasive and the ‘Property Tax Savings’ message least persuasive. This research surveyed persuadable voters in 19 priority counties in Indiana to capture baseline support for local clean energy projects and to test pro-clean energy messages, prior to the launch of pro-clean energy advertisements.