D2.3.1.2 Acceptance Research in the Energy Transition. Existing Studies and Critical Reassessment

This report provides a comprehensive, theory-informed overview of acceptance research in the context of the German and broader energy transition (Energiewende), with the aim of informing the design of a research data infrastructure in the energy domain. Conceptual foundations (Chapters 2–3): The report traces acceptance research from individualistic technology-acceptance and risk models through Science and Technology Studies to approaches focused on political legitimacy, governance, justice and political economy. It understands acceptance as conditional and context-dependent and distinguishes between socio-political, community/local and market acceptance. These perspectives are complemented by research on social practices, trust, participation, social movements, gender, ownership, financialisation, extraction and carbon lock-in. Assessment of empirical studies (Chapter 4): Drawing primarily on German evidence, including the Social Sustainability Barometer, and complemented by European and comparative studies, the report finds broad and relatively stable support for the energy transition as a societal objective. However, acceptance varies between general and local or project levels, technologies, and socio-economic and spatial contexts. It is associated with trust, procedural and distributive justice, participation, ownership, local value creation, digitalisation and regional and class-based inequalities. Heating decarbonisation remains comparatively under-researched. Conclusions (Chapter 5): The report argues that the concept of acceptance can impose a passive and top-down framing, obscuring citizens’ roles as co-owners, co-producers and co-financiers. It identifies persistent blind spots concerning institution-building, public and common-good ownership, financialisation, economic democracy, global extraction, intersectionality, labour quality, discourse power and intergenerational justice. Rather than abandoning acceptance, it recommends embedding the concept in a broader framework centred on participation, power, ownership and distribution. Implications for NFDI4Energy: The report recommends moving beyond descriptive attitude measures towards an interoperable, multi-level and relational data architecture. Acceptance indicators should be linked to information on ownership, participation, trust, justice, supply chains, extraction, demographic inequalities, employment quality and discourse power. This would support explanatory research on the social and political conditions of the energy transition rather than merely documenting public attitudes.