Public attitudes towards gasification technologies in the UK, Germany and China and their susceptibility to the Nasty Effect

In many countries, there is growing interest in the use of gasification technologies as an alternative to oil and natural gas in industrial-scale chemical production. Gasification could help to reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports and, depending upon the feedstock used, could help to decarbonise and improve the circularity of the sector. Despite the importance that public acceptance can have for the roll-out of industrial technologies, studies into public attitudes and risk perceptions of gasification technology are lacking. To address this gap, the current study investigated public attitudes towards two forms of gasification (coal and waste gasification) using an online survey distributed to demographically representative samples of the public from the UK, Germany and China. The objectives were to: (1) gain insight into public attitudes towards the use of gasification technologies in these countries; (2) assess potential divergence in public attitudes towards the use of different carbon sources within gasification; and (3) identify the potential impact of negative social framing – namely the Nasty Effect – on risk perceptions. Results showed that attitudes towards gasification were generally positive in all three countries, although significantly more so in China. The anticipated preference for waste gasification was observed in the UK and Germany but not in China. There was little consistent evidence of the Nasty Effect in terms of participants’ evaluations of the technological and environmental risks of gasification in each country. The results hold potential implications for the development of future outreach and communication activities relating to the technology. • Online survey to assess public attitudes towards coal and waste gasification in three countries. • Examination of the impact of public (in-)civility on risk perceptions (i.e. the Nasty Effect). • Positive attitudes in all countries with a preference for waste gasification in UK and Germany. • Evidence that public dissent increases risk perceptions but limited evidence of the Nasty Effect.