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 endors...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Geothermal Energy |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40517-025-00346-5 |
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| author | Meaghan McKasy Sara K. Yeo Jennifer Shiyue Zhang Michael A. Cacciatore Henry W. Allen Leona Y.-F. Su |
| author_facet | Meaghan McKasy Sara K. Yeo Jennifer Shiyue Zhang Michael A. Cacciatore Henry W. Allen Leona Y.-F. Su |
| author_sort | Meaghan McKasy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-22c1bd2dbaaf43fc9b8cddb13ef35695 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2195-9706 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geothermal Energy |
| spelling | doaj-art-22c1bd2dbaaf43fc9b8cddb13ef356952025-08-20T02:11:09ZengSpringerOpenGeothermal Energy2195-97062025-04-0113112110.1186/s40517-025-00346-5Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsementMeaghan McKasy0Sara K. Yeo1Jennifer Shiyue Zhang2Michael A. Cacciatore3Henry W. Allen4Leona Y.-F. Su5Department of Communication, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Utah Valley UniversityDepartment of Communication, University of UtahInstitute of Communications Research, College of Media, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignDepartment of Public Relations, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of GeorgiaCollege of Communication & Information Sciences, University of AlabamaInstitute of Communications Research, College of Media, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40517-025-00346-5 |
| spellingShingle | Meaghan McKasy Sara K. Yeo Jennifer Shiyue Zhang Michael A. Cacciatore Henry W. Allen Leona Y.-F. Su Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsement Geothermal Energy |
| title | Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsement |
| title_full | Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsement |
| title_fullStr | Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsement |
| title_short | Support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research: examining the role of familiarity, credibility, and social endorsement |
| title_sort | support for regulation of enhanced geothermal systems research examining the role of familiarity credibility and social endorsement |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40517-025-00346-5 |
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