Populism and support of onshore wind energy: Explaining different perspectives from the left and right

This study examines the relationship between political orientation and support of onshore wind energy, using demographically representative surveys of the population in France. Our micro-econometric analysis focuses on individuals with left- or right-wing populist views and highlights the importance of accounting for trust in government when estimating this relationship. Support for onshore wind energy tends to be lower on the right side of the political spectrum—especially on the far right—than on the left and center. The difference in support between voters of populist and traditional parties (on either side of the political spectrum) becomes more pronounced when trust in government is excluded from the econometric specification. Thus, studies omitting trust in government may lead to biased estimates of the relation between populist party affiliation and opposition to climate policies. Moreover, the relation between political orientation and support of onshore wind energy appears to be sensitive to the scale used to measure political orientation. Finally, we find no evidence that political orientation relates to support of solar energy, suggesting that the role of political orientation in public support differs across renewable energies. • We study the relationship between political orientation and support of renewables. • Support of onshore wind energy is higher among left-wing than right-wing voters. • Neglecting trust in government may lead to an omitted variable bias. • We find no evidence that political orientation is related to support of solar energy.