Not yet partisan: Cultural Theory explains attitudes about solar radiation management in the US

[Geoengineering News]

https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/pp/aop/article-10.1332-03055736Y2026D000000092/article-10.1332-03055736Y2026D000000092.xml

Authors: Chris Koski and Paul Manson

03 April 2026

Abstract 

This article investigates the role of cultural theory (CT) in explaining attitudes towards solar radiation management (SRM) in the US. Partisanship traditionally provides a clear lens through which to view favourability to climate change policies; however, the lack of partisan attention to geoengineering policies, such as SRM, suggests other belief systems may be better explainers of attitudes. Previously, scholars have found climate attitudes to vary based upon cultural types, which are a function of how individuals see the role of authority in policy making and the extent to which individuals see themselves as part of a social unit. We find that partisanship is a weak predictor of SRM attitudes, while cultural affinities provide strong influences over SRM attitudes. Specifically, we find strong group affinities (particularly egalitarians) to lead to more favourable impressions of SRM research and deployment in the case of climate emergencies. Attitudes towards hierarchy, specifically cultural affinities that disfavour hierarchy, explain SRM scepticism. We contrast these results with a separate analysis of more widely known mitigation policies: carbon taxes, regulations on carbon emissions, taxes on higher income earners for green investment, and carbon cap and trade. For these better-known policy positions, partisanship is far more important. Our work contributes to the application of CT to policy attitudes as well as to explaining the shifting landscape of attitudes towards geoengineering and a variety of climate mitigation policies.

 Source: Bristol University Press