Wind energy acceptance and forest owners’ land-leasing intentions: The role of beliefs and attitudes

The expansion of wind power plays a crucial role in the European Union's decarbonization strategy. However, the social acceptance of wind power projects, particularly among landowners and non-landowners, remains a significant concern. Drawing on behavioural insights of the social acceptance literature, this study examines the beliefs, attitudes, and behavioural intentions of these groups towards wind power. We focus on the national context of Finland, where wind energy development has accelerated in recent years. Utilizing survey data from 2,103 respondents, including forest owners and non-forest owners, the study employs Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and regression models to explore how beliefs shape attitudes, policy support and forest owners' behavioural intentions. The acceptance measures indicate that non-forest owners held more favourable attitudes towards wind power, associating it with environmental benefits and economic opportunities, while forest owners expressed greater concerns about landscape changes, land ownership, and economic impacts. The SEM model reveals that attitudes toward wind power were strongly influenced by beliefs about energy production and local impacts, which, in turn, shaped policy support. Additionally, forest owners’ willingness to lease land for wind turbines was associated with higher income level, owned land area size, and positive attitudes towards wind power. These findings highlight the need for tailored landscape-orientated policies that address explicitly address landowners’ concerns while fostering broader societal support for wind power. Enhancing procedural and distributive justice, improving compensation mechanisms, and integrating participatory planning processes could help accommodate resistance and facilitate a just energy transition.