National Survey of Attitudes of Wind Power Project Neighbors

A survey of individuals living near U.S. wind power projects focused on understanding how U.S. communities are reacting to the deployment of wind turbines and providing insights to communities considering wind projects revealed a number of interesting insights. Findings indicate an overall positive attitude toward the nearby turbines, including for those living even as close as ½ mile. Roughly 8% of the population had negative attitudes within 5 miles. In an examination of a broad set of possible correlates to attitudes, it was found that neither demographic nor local wind project characteristics were significantly related. Attitudes were significantly correlated with compensation, sensory perceptions of the nearby turbines, planning process perceptions, and attitudes toward wind turbines in general. It was also found that individuals moving into the area after wind project construction were significantly more positive than those already in the community, implying that more supportive individuals might be self-selecting into the community.