Misinformation and public support across renewable energy technologies in the United States

This study investigates the factors shaping public support for renewable energy technologies (RETs)—wind, solar, nuclear, hydropower, and geothermal—in the United States, with a particular focus on the roles of misinformation, demographic differences, and proximity to renewable infrastructure. Combining a large-scale social media sentiment analysis with a national survey experiment (N = 2206), this study explores how misinformation, media format, political ideology, gender, and geographic proximity influence attitudes toward renewable energy investment. Findings reveal that exposure to misinformation significantly decreases investment support for renewables across regions, genders, and energy types, though the magnitude of the effect varies. Political ideology and gender emerge as stronger predictors of support than geography or media modality, with men and liberals demonstrating consistently higher support levels. Moderates are closer to conservatives in their support of RETs. Proximity to renewable projects is associated with increased self-reported knowledge of renewables, which in turn modestly boosts investment support; however, this relationship is not uniform across regions. Sentiment analysis of social media discourse indicates that technologies like hydropower and geothermal—which showed higher susceptibility to misinformation—are also framed more negatively online. The complexity of public attitudes toward renewable energy suggest that combating misinformation, tailoring communication strategies to demographic and regional audiences, and strengthening public knowledge are critical to building broader coalitions for the energy transition. Future research should continue to examine these dynamics using larger, longitudinal, and mixed-method approaches.