Effects of rank-ordered feature perceptions of energy sources on the choice of the most acceptable power plant for a neighborhood: An investigation using a South Korean nationwide sample

Abstract

The present study incorporates a competitive context into an individual's response to the construction of a power plant in his/her neighborhood and the determinants of this response. The study adopts an individual's rank-ordered feature perceptions of competing energy sources to reflect the individual's comparative perceptions of the sources regarding the features, and it investigates the effects of these perceptions on his/her choice of the most acceptable power plant in the area where he/she lives. Our mixed conditional logit analysis of nationwide survey data from South Korea demonstrated the following: among the rank-ordered feature perceptions, the perceptions regarding safety and eco-friendliness significantly predict an individual's choice of the most acceptable power plant for his/her neighborhood, while those regarding affordability, contribution to economic development, and job creation do not. In addition, among those significant features, safety was found to be a stricter criterion than eco-friendliness. The selective significance of the feature perceptions and the differentiated criteria between the significant features provide practical implications for professionals in energy industries, as well as theoretical implications for researchers.