When Night Falls: An Exploratory Study of Residents’ Perceptions of Policy Measures Regarding Extinction of Public Lighting in the ‘Heart of the Night’

Rising energy costs and a desire for sustainability have led municipalities to implement measures such as reducing artificial public lighting at night (ALAN). However, under pressure from residents, some municipalities are being forced to reverse their decision. Although important, the social relationship of individuals to public lighting and its impact on decisions to reduce or modify is still little considered. This study examines how residents of a municipality in southern France perceive a policy of reducing artificial night lighting from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. A survey of 91 participants was used to assess their understanding of the positive (safety, nightlife…) and negative (effects on biodiversity, health…) impacts of ALAN, their attitudes towards the measure, and their opinions regarding its extension. The results indicate that participants who recognise the negative impacts of ALAN are more inclined to support its reduction (r = 0.56, p < 0.001; ß = 0.44, t = 3.12, p = 0.003), while those who appreciate its positive impacts are more reluctant to accept the measure (r = −0.57, p < 0.001; ß = −0.70, t = −5.30, p < 0.001). Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that specific attitudes towards these lighting-off measures were the main predictor of support for the policy (ß = 0.60, t = 6.70, p < 0.001) than general beliefs about the impacts of lighting. These results suggest that implementing such policies requires balancing ecological considerations with social expectations and building trust between local authorities and residents to improve public acceptance of lighting strategies. This study contributes to the still scarce research on the positioning of individuals in real projects to reduce or even switch off lighting and demonstrates the value of studying the relationship between individuals and policies to reduce public lighting.