Spinning stories: Wind turbines and local narrative landscapes in Germany

Abstract

The successful transition toward renewable energies requires public support in areas where their expansion may cause adverse effects. In this context, narratives are crucial as they shape people's perceptions. This article examines the relationship between onshore wind power and related narratives in regions across Germany.

We run a series of spatial regression models on regional newspaper data, and our findings suggest that wind-related topics are more prominent and more neutrally (less angrily) framed in regions with more wind turbines. Public attitudes supporting wind energy expansion correlate with the prominence of related topics in regions' narrative landscapes. In contrast, support for anti-wind protests does not seem to correlate with the prominence of wind-energy-related topics in regions with higher wind turbine densities.