Browsing by Author "Yu, Chin-Hsien"

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    Chinese Local Residents’ Attitudes toward Shale Gas Exploitation: The Role of Energy Poverty, Environmental Awareness, and Benefit and Risk Perceptions
    (2017-12) Yu, Chin-Hsien; Tan, Huimin; Qin, Ping; Chen, Xiaolan; Chin-Hsien Yu, corresponding author: Tel.: +86 18628328111; Email address: chenxiaolan@scu.edu.cn. Institute of Development, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, PR China. Huimin Tan, School of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, PR China. Ping Qin, Department of Energy Economics, School of Economics, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China. Xiaolan Chen, School of Economics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, PR C
    This study investigates Chinese local residents’ attitudes toward shale gas exploitation through an interview of 730 local residents in two counties of Sichuan Province (Weiyuan County and Gong County) and explores the determinants of their support or opposition. It is the first study in China to explore local residents’ attitudes, and we comprehensively identify underlying factors accounting for such attitudes, including energy poverty, environmental awareness, and risk and benefit perceptions. The results show that the respondents are generally supportive of toward shale gas development, no matter whether the shale well is built in their hometown or at a distance. About 70% of the respondents express support or strong support for shale gas exploitation, and less than 20% of them oppose or strongly oppose such development. The results also show that the respondents are more likely to oppose shale gas exploitation if they perceive lower benefits or higher risks associated with shale development, if they are more environmentally aware, or if they suffer from a higher degree of energy poverty.
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    Households’ Risk Perceptions in Response to Shale Gas Exploitation: Evidence from China
    (2017-10) Yu, Chin-Hsien; Huang, Shih-Kai; Qin, Ping; Chen, Xiaolan; Chin-Hsien Yu, Institute of Development Studies, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, PR China. Shih-Kai Huang, Department of Emergency Management, Jacksonville State University, Alabama, USA. Ping Qin, Department of Energy Economics, School of Economics, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China. Xiaolan Chen (corresponding author: chenxiaolan@scu.edu.cn), School of Economics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, PR China.
    In 2014, China became the world’s third country to realize shale gas commercial development, following the United States and Canada. So far, there has been a lack of comprehensive discussion on risk perception related to shale gas in China. This paper aims to understand Chinese residents’ risk perceptions toward shale gas exploitation. A survey was conducted with 730 interviewed participants in two counties of Sichuan province (Weiyuan County and Gong County). This study shows that, in China, an elderly female tends to perceive lower risks, and a higher education level is commonly associated with lower risk perception. Besides the socio-demographic characteristics, two major findings are also explored in this study. First, household’s perceived benefits from shale gas exploitation do not statistically significantly affect their risk concerns. Second, the respondents’ environmental consciousness, including their anticipation of environmental impacts and their perceptions about environmental degradation, plays a crucial role in their perception of the risks of shale gas exploitation. This implies that local residents’ judgments on the severity of environmental impacts significantly contribute to their risk perceptions. These findings therefore contribute to local authorities’ policy making in protecting local residents from the risks of shale gas exploitation and in better communicating about risk with the residents.