PEOPLE LIKE WIND

Toplines and trends from the 2009 U.S. Saint Index; American Attitudes on Development

"…78% of American adults oppose a landfill development in their hometown, making it the most unwanted type of local real estate project in America…A casino is the second most unwanted local project — 77% opposed…Fifty-nine percent of Americans say they are more likely to support new commercial projects in their hometown given the current economic situation…A nuclear power plant, while the least-favored type of power plant, would still be preferable as a local development project to a landfill, a casino, or an aggregate quarry, the survey results show…

"One in five American families have actively opposed a development project…The Northeast is the most actively NIMBY region of the U.S., followed by the West and Mid-Atlantic…The Midwest is the region most welcoming to local development…Key reasons for opposition to a project are protecting the environment (22%) and protecting the value of a home or real estate (21%). Other reasons for opposition include fear of too much new traffic (19%) and protecting community character (18%)…"

click to enlarge

"Americans are cynical about the relationship between developers and politicians. Nearly seven out of 10 Americans (69%) believe the relationship between developers and elected officials makes the land use approval process unfair…

"Opposition by Americans to power plant construction in their community is dropping…for all types of power plant projects…53 percent of American adults oppose a local power plant project…That is down significantly from 75 percent opposed to a local power project in 2006, and 57 percent a year ago…43 percent of Americans say they support a local power project, an increase from 38 percent support a year ago, and just 23 percent in 2006."

From a recent Saint Group survey finding similar sentiments in the UK. (click to enlarge)

"Wind power remains the top choice for a power plant among Americans if one were to be built near them. Eighty-two percent say they would support a wind-powered generation project if one were proposed for their community…79 percent do not believe a large wind farm would be detrimental to their health and welfare. About one in ten (11 percent) do believe a large wind project could diminish health and welfare…[E]njoying more support than opposition are a local biofuel (54 percent support) or hydro power (61 percent support) project.

"60 percent of Americans oppose building a nuclear power plant in their community —down from 65 percent opposed a year ago…50 percent of Americans oppose a fossil fuel power plant in their community, down from 58 percent last year. Forty-six percent support a fossil fuel plant project in their city or town…A nuclear power plant, while the least-favored type of power plant, would still be preferable to a landfill (78 percent opposed), a casino (77 percent opposed), or an aggregate quarry (62 percent)."