Electric Power Reliability, Energy Burdens, and Climate Change Beliefs in the United States

The electric power system is essential to social and economic well-being but remains vulnerable to climate-related hazards that exacerbate power outages. This study asks: Are the duration of power outages and the extent of energy burdens (EBs) associated with public beliefs about climate change across the United States? While previous research identified media exposure, demographics, and geography as influences on climate change beliefs, the role of power outages and EBs has not been examined. Using county-level geospatial regression analysis, we find a significant positive association between power outages and climate change beliefs across the continental United States, with longer outages associated with greater beliefs. Each one-unit increase in maximum outage duration corresponds to a 5.16% increase in beliefs, accounting for EB, media exposure, political affiliation, and education. However, the interaction between power outages and EBs reveals a negative relationship with climate change beliefs in three out of the four regions, namely, the South, West, and Midwest, indicating higher energy costs can dampen the belief-enhancing effect of outages. These findings highlight that power outages and EBs are important correlates of climate change beliefs and have region-specific implications for climate action policy and public communication amid mounting climate-related disruptions.