Olve Krange, Helene Figari, Bjørn Kaltenborn
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Oslo, Norway.
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Lillehammer, Norway.
Environ Manage. 2025 May;75(5):1299-1307. doi: 10.1007/s00267-025-02121-5. Epub 2025 Jan 31.
This study explores the impact of NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) sentiments on local resistance to wind power developments in Norway. With a reopening of concession processing for new onshore wind power projects in 2022, a significant number of applications await evaluation, provoking substantial local opposition. This research assesses the prevalence and impact of NIMBY attitudes among the Norwegian public and to critically examine the theoretical validity and practical utility of the NIMBY concept. Using data from an online survey, which yielded 1220 complete responses, we analyzed general attitudes toward wind power in Norway and specific attitudes toward local wind power installations. While 37% of respondents support wind power construction in Norway, only 27% favor it near their homes. Based on the relationship between these two attitudes, we identified the proportion of NIMBYs in the data using two approaches. A strict definition requires individuals to support wind power in Norway but oppose its presence in the natural areas near their own homes. A less strict definition also includes those who expressed a neutral stance toward wind power in Norway among the NIMBYs. In both cases, a relatively small segment of respondents exhibit classic NIMBY characteristics, i.e., support (or claim neutrality) to wind power in general but opposing it locally. Further analysis reveals that direct experience with wind power installations is associated with increased acceptance rather than opposition, challenging the NIMBY narrative. Our study argues that labeling local resistance as NIMBYism oversimplifies the issue and ignores other significant factors like environmental identity, place attachment, and broader environmental attitudes. Hence, the study suggests that blaming wind power opponents as "Nimbys" often is misplaced and unjust.
本研究探讨了“邻避情绪”（Not In My Backyard，即“不要建在我家后院”）对挪威当地抵制风力发电项目的影响。随着2022年新的陆上风力发电项目特许权审批程序重新启动，大量申请等待评估，引发了当地民众的强烈反对。本研究评估了挪威公众中邻避态度的普遍程度和影响，并批判性地审视了邻避概念的理论有效性和实际效用。利用一项在线调查的数据（该调查共获得1220份完整回复），我们分析了挪威民众对风力发电的总体态度以及对当地风力发电设施的具体态度。虽然37%的受访者支持挪威的风力发电建设，但只有27%的人赞成在自家附近建设。基于这两种态度之间的关系，我们采用两种方法确定了数据中邻避者的比例。严格的定义要求个人支持挪威的风力发电，但反对在自家附近的自然区域建设。不太严格 的定义还包括那些在邻避者中对挪威风力发电持中立态度的人。在这两种情况下，相对一小部分受访者表现出典型的邻避特征，即总体上支持（或声称中立）风力发电，但在当地持反对态度。进一步分析表明，对风力发电设施的直接体验与接受度的提高而非反对相关，这对邻避观点提出了挑战。我们的研究认为，将当地的抵制行为贴上邻避主义的标签过于简单化了这个问题，并且忽略了其他重要因素，如环境认同、地方依恋和更广泛的环境态度。因此，该研究表明，将风力发电反对者指责为“邻避者”往往是错误的且不公正的。
