Political participation model of citizen NIMBY opposition

Abstract

Why citizens choose to oppose sitings of noxious facilities in their communities is examined in a 1991 survey of Oklahoma adults' risk judgments. Regression models of both actual and hypothetical NIMBY-motivated political participation are tested. The composite risk-judgment component proves significantly related to NIMBY participation in both actual and hypothetical siting scenarios, but not in the same way. An important finding is that the existence of hypothetical bias in greenfield communities can invalidate survey findings conducted as part of community relations planning.