Ideology as filter: motivated information processing and decision-making in the energy domain

Hahnel, Ulf; Mumenthaler, Christian; Spampatti, Tobia; Brosch, Tobias

doi:10.3390/su12208429

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Title		Ideology as filter: motivated information processing and decision-making in the energy domain
Authors		Hahnel, Ulf Mumenthaler, Christian Spampatti, Tobia Brosch, Tobias
Published in		Sustainability. 2020, vol. 12, no. 20, 8429
Abstract		The transition towards more renewable energy will substantially increase voters' involvement in the political decision-making process in the energy domain. Decisions such as whether to approve or reject large-scale energy programs can be complex, especially when available information cues are numerous and conflicting. Here, we hypothesize that political ideology is a strong determinant in this process, serving as a filter that voters apply when evaluating the relevance of provided information cues. We tested this hypothesis in the context of the 2017 Public Vote on the Swiss Energy Act. A sample of n = 931 Swiss voters were presented with arguments in favor or against the Energy Act, which were framed in terms of values found to be relevant for liberal and conservative ideologies, respectively. Political ideology strongly determined individual attitudes and voting preferences. Political ideology moreover moderated the influence of information provision on decisions, in that arguments congruent with voters' political ideology were more likely to be evaluated as personally relevant and integrated into their decisions. We discuss the implications of our findings for measures on how to address ideology-based decision-making in order to ensure a well-informed electorate.
Keywords		Political ideology — Voter preferences — Information processing — Real-world political events — Argument framing — Swiss Energy Act — Public acceptance — Political decision-making — Motivated reasoning
Identifiers		DOI: 10.3390/su12208429
Full text		Article (Published version) (1.9 MB) - Free access Other version: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/20/8429
Structures		Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation / Section de psychologie
Research group		Efficience énergétique : affect, décision et comportement (DECISIONLAB)
Projects		Swiss National Science Foundation: PYAPP1_160571 Autre: The work is part of the activities of SCCER CREST (Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research), supported by the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse)
Citation (ISO format)		HAHNEL, Ulf et al. Ideology as filter: motivated information processing and decision-making in the energy domain. In: Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, n° 20, p. 8429. doi: 10.3390/su12208429 https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:153718