Primacy effects in the formation of environmental attitudes: The case of mineral exploration

Highlights

• Public support for green developments hinges on the first information people receive.
   
• Early expression of attitudes makes individuals less receptive to conflicting information.
   
• Counteracting primacy effect requires presenting opposing information without repeating the initial information.
   
• High environmental concern may hinder support for green developments if they pose environmental risks.
   
• Strong place attachment correlates with reduced support for developments involving changes to people’s localities.

Abstract

Transitioning to the green economy relies on new developments that may change people's localities and involve certain risks. This study investigates how people form opinions about such developments, using mineral exploration and mining as an example. A representative sample (N = 1000) participated in a pre-registered online experiment. They were randomly assigned to (i) read information supporting or opposing mining, (ii) either state their position on the topic after reading this information or not, (iii) read counterarguments from the opposing perspective presented either alongside the original information or in isolation. We recorded a primacy effect: the first information that participants read biased subsequent opinion. This effect was reinforced when people were prompted to articulate their attitude before being exposed to the counterarguments and when they read counterarguments that integrated information about both risks and benefits of mining. These findings underscore the importance of the first information on the topic one encounters and suggest that opinions formed on the basis of this information can be difficult to change.