Public support for renewable energy does not hinge on trust alone, but on who is being trusted. A new study from Germany finds that trust in government and trust in corporations shape public attitudes toward the energy transition in strikingly different and sometimes contradictory ways, challenging the common assumption that institutional trust is a uniformly positive driver of acceptance.

The research, published in the journal Energy, Sustainability and Society, was conducted by Patrick Stuhm, Manuel Johann Baumann and Marcel Weil. It combines qualitative thematic analysis with quantitative structural equation modelling based on a representative telephone survey of 1,155 respondents from the German-speaking population aged 16 and older, living in Germany. The survey was carried out in early 2023 by USUMA GmbH in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, using a dual-frame random sampling approach that combined landline and mobile telephone numbers to include households without landlines.

The motivation for the study lies in a gap in the existing literature. Although trust is widely recognized as a key factor in public acceptance of renewable energy, few studies have differentiated between forms of trust, particularly between trust in governmental actors and trust in corporations. The authors note that energy transition policies involve high levels of uncertainty, long-term impacts and an asymmetry of information, which requires citizens to rely on institutional actors when evaluating risks and benefits. Existing research often fails to distinguish between these actors, and the new study set out to address that shortcoming by examining how different forms of institutional trust shape perceptions of renewable energy technologies in Germany, including perceived benefits, perceived disadvantages and affective responses.

The German context makes the question particularly pressing. The country’s energy transition, known as the Energiewende, centers on expanding renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass. To accelerate the shift, the government has set ambitious goals, including the Wind-an-Land-Gesetz, which requires states to designate 2 percent of land for wind energy by 2032, and Solarpaket I, which streamlines photovoltaic regulations and supports the goal of 80 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Yet policies and technology alone are not enough: acceptance has become a decisive factor in determining whether projects proceed smoothly or encounter delays, and numerous examples show how opposition has led to significant setbacks or even the cancellation of entire projects.

The quantitative results reveal a sharply differentiated trust landscape. Trust in government was associated with stronger perceived benefits of renewable energy, with a standardized path coefficient of 0.826, and with lower perceived disadvantages, with a coefficient of −0.936, both highly significant. In contrast, trust in corporations showed the inverse pattern: it was linked to weaker perceptions of benefits (β = −0.415) and higher perceived disadvantages (β = 0.454). According to the authors, this suggests skepticism toward corporate motives, likely rooted in perceptions of profit-driven decision-making, limited transparency and unequal distribution of benefits, even though corporations may be seen as technologically competent and innovative.

The findings on emotional responses were even more surprising. Contrary to the study’s second hypothesis, which predicted that higher trust would lead to more favorable emotional reactions regardless of the actor, higher trust in government was associated with a significant increase in negative emotional responses toward renewable energy technologies (β = −0.855). The researchers interpret this not as a paradox but as expectation-based disappointment: individuals who place trust in the government may feel emotionally let down when renewable energy policies are perceived as inadequate, unfair or poorly communicated. The qualitative data support this reading, with respondents voicing frustration over bureaucratic inefficiencies and calling for reduced bureaucracy and faster approval processes, even while emphasizing the crucial role of government in financing and coordinating the transition.

Trust in corporations, by contrast, was linked to more positive emotional responses (β = 0.222), despite simultaneously reducing perceived benefits and increasing perceived disadvantages. The authors suggest that corporate trust may be driven more by associations with innovation, efficiency and economic opportunity than by perceived fairness or shared goals. They also acknowledge an alternative interpretation: the observed patterns could reflect broader ideological orientations toward state intervention and market-based solutions rather than trust dynamics alone, and the data do not allow these mechanisms to be disentangled empirically. Future research including measures of political ideology could clarify this.

The analysis of indirect effects showed that trust influences acceptance primarily through perceived benefits. Trust in government indirectly increases acceptance by enhancing perceived benefits (β = 0.742), while trust in corporations has the opposite effect, reducing perceived benefits (β = −0.444). No significant indirect effects were found via affect or perceived disadvantages, indicating that emotional responses and risk perception play a secondary role in the model. Ultimately, the perception of concrete benefits, such as energy security or environmental protection, remains the most decisive factor in shaping acceptance.

The descriptive survey results add further texture. Climate-neutral energy production (35.9 percent) and reducing dependence on foreign energy sources (32.7 percent) were mentioned most frequently as particularly important objectives, followed by air pollution reduction and security of supply. A relative majority of respondents, 46.7 percent, stated that financial participation of the affected community would be the most effective way to advance the energy transition, followed by individual financial participation at 29.0 percent, while participation in planning processes was mentioned by only 17.8 percent. When asked who is responsible for implementing the transition, 62.8 percent considered the federal government primarily responsible, with energy supply companies mentioned by 13.9 percent, state governments by 8 percent and municipalities by 4 percent.

The authors conclude that institutional trust does not function as a uniformly positive driver of renewable energy acceptance, but rather as a complex and actor-specific mechanism involving both cognitive and affective evaluations. By differentiating between governmental and corporate trust, the study extends existing acceptance models, particularly Huijts’ comprehensive technology acceptance framework, and highlights implications for policy and communication. Strengthening trust in government, they argue, requires transparency, participatory governance, fair distribution of costs and benefits and reduced bureaucratic barriers, whereas fostering trust in corporations depends on accountability, fairness and the clear communication of public benefits. The study also carries limitations: it was conducted in a single national context, used a cross-sectional design that captures opinion at one point in time, and excluded variables such as political ideology, media exposure and regional identity. The authors call for longitudinal and cross-national research, as well as experimental methods, to clarify the causal pathways between trust, perception and behavior in the ongoing energy transition.

Subject of Research: How trust in government versus corporations shapes public acceptance of renewable energy in Germany

Article Title: Renewable energy acceptance and responsible actors: unravelling the influence of trust in governments and corporations

Article References: Stuhm, P., Baumann, M. J., & Weil, M. (2026). Renewable energy acceptance and responsible actors: unravelling the influence of trust in governments and corporations. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 16(1), Article 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-026-00599-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s13705-026-00599-3

Keywords: renewable energy, public acceptance, institutional trust, energy transition, Germany, structural equation modelling, trust in government, trust in corporations, affective responses, Energiewende, survey research, energy policy