Exploring the relationship between group-level autonomy and social acceptance of geo- thermal energy: The role of procedural justice climate, social identity violation, and collec- tive self-determined motivation

Situated in the real-world context of renewable energy, this study investigated the associa-tion between group-level autonomy and the social acceptance of deep geothermal energy technology. The study placed particular emphasis on examining the mediating role of group -level procedural fairness (i.e., procedural justice climate) and social identity violation, while also examining the role of collective self-determined motivations to accept the energy tech-nology. Results showed that (i) social identity violation had an important role in directly pre-dicting the acceptance of geothermal technology and in moderating the effect of a mediation path from group-level autonomy to social acceptance via procedural justice climate and that (ii) collective self-determination mediated the relationship between community members' experience of group-level autonomy and social acceptance. We discuss how considering collective processes might lead to a better understanding of the key drivers underlying the social acceptance of sustainable energy technologies, and might inform public engagement.