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Public Attitudes to Windfarms: A Survey of Local Residents in Scotland
Chapter FIVE anticipated and actual impact of the windfarm
5.1 In order to assess whether people's concerns about the development of a windfarm in their locality were matched by their experiences following the development, we asked people to think back and recall what factors they thought would cause potential problems when the windfarm was being developed, and what they found actually caused problems. The two questions were asked using the same format, with each potential problem read out in turn (with the order rotated in each interview to overcome order bias). Those respondents who had moved to the area after the windfarm had been constructed were asked to describe which factors they anticipated causing problems before they moved to the area.
5.2 The expectations of those who lived in the area prior to the construction of the windfarm, and those who moved in subsequently, are similar (see chart 3).
Chart 3: Anticipated impact of the windfarm development and length of residence
5.3 Most people lived in their homes before the local windfarm was developed. These people report having had a range of concerns, with the most common being that the look of the landscape would be spoiled. Most people, however, say that they had no particular concerns (see chart 4).
5.4 Of those who lived in their homes prior to the construction, concerns about specific problems that might arise as a result of the windfarm do not seem to have materialised in many cases. Asked to reflect back on their views prior to the construction of the windfarm, people are less likely to say that problems have been caused by the windfarm than they are to say that they anticipated they might. Furthermore, while around half (54%) anticipated no problems over a range of issues associated with the windfarm development, as many as eight in ten (82%) say that there actually have been no problems (see chart 4).
Chart 4: Anticipated and actual problems caused by the windfarm
5.5 More people who lived in their homes before the windfarm was developed feel that its impact has been generally positive (21%) than feel it has been negative (7%), (see para 4.4). The issue on which these two groups differ most in their perception of the detail of the actual impact of the windfarm is on its visual impact (see chart 5).
5.6 Of those with a broadly positive impression of the impact of the windfarm, one in ten (10%) say that it has spoiled the look of the landscape, while of those with a broadly critical impression, one in four say that it has spoiled the landscape (26%). This would suggest that it is the visual impact that is most potent in causing people to dislike windfarms.
Chart 5: Actual detailed impact of the windfarm and overall impression of their impact
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