Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsement

Abstract

Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are a new technology with the potential to expand renewable energy generation. Understanding how information about EGS affects people’s opinions and support for its development is critical for its implementation. The present study examines how social endorsement cues (SEC; e.g., number of likes and shares) and perceived familiarity with EGS might influence audience considerations. We found that SEC significantly influenced perceived credibility of a blog post. Perceived familiarity with EGS moderated the relationship between perceived credibility and support for regulation of academic and commercial EGS research. However, there were differences in the mediating effect of perceived credibility for support for regulation of commercial, compared to academic, research. If producers of commercial EGS want greater public support, engaging SEC on public platforms could be a promising path forward.