IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v87y2026ics0160791x26001296.html

Is it information or predispositions? Measuring the long-term effect of information on opinion formation about new energy technologies in Switzerland

Author

Listed:
  • Stadelmann-Steffen, Isabelle
  • Sträter, Rebeka
  • Zumofen, Guillaume

Abstract

In today's societies, new technologies offer many opportunities but also pose challenges and uncertainties. The question of which technologies to use is becoming an increasingly political issue, with the potential to lead to polarisation and affect electoral outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how citizens form their opinions about new technological solutions. Drawing on public opinion research and research on technology acceptance, this study investigates how individuals form opinions about seaonal thermal energy storage as a case of novel technology, distinguishing between systematic and heuristic information processing. Using a three-wave panel survey conducted in Switzerland between 2022 and 2024, we examine whether information effects persist over time depending on the information's format and content, and compare them to the role of general predispositions, i.e., political ideology and trust in science. Our findings show that factual information, particularly in video format, can improve perceptions of STES among initially unaware respondents. However, opinion formation is primarily driven by general predispositions. This suggests that the politicisation of energy issues can influence attitudes towards emerging technologies even before they become subjects of public debate.

Suggested Citation

  • Stadelmann-Steffen, Isabelle & Sträter, Rebeka & Zumofen, Guillaume, 2026. "Is it information or predispositions? Measuring the long-term effect of information on opinion formation about new energy technologies in Switzerland," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:87:y:2026:i:c:s0160791x26001296
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103340
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X26001296
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103340?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:87:y:2026:i:c:s0160791x26001296. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.