The veracity of sound scientific research eventually drives greater public understanding of energy issues, but first has to overcome deep-seated and pervasive biases that dominate public debate, asserted Prof. David Spence during a recent talk on the UT Austin campus.
Spence, who teaches courses on law, politics & regulation at UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business as well as the university’s School of Law, entertained a capacity crowd of faculty, students and others during his hour-long September 4 lecture, “You’re Biased, and I’m Not: Separating Energy Policy from Energy Politics.”
During his talk, the latest installment in McCombs’ popular Texas Enterprise Speaker Series, Spence focused on what the behavioral sciences have to say about underlying psychological and sociological factors that mark the polarizing and often acrimonious public discourse surrounding numerous energy policy issues.
For example, public debate over the use hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in oil and gas production is particularly divisive, Spence noted, with proponents and opponents of the practice making claims that reflect a lack of scientific rigor.
The pervasiveness of such biases, Spence said, not only reflects partisan politics, but an attitude that gives rise to a “discounting of new information.” The resulting intransigence tends to stymie consensus views that could help resolve conflicts.
Many who engage in this sort of rancorous public debate of hot-button energy issues “are psychologically committed to their social identity,” he added.
Spence offered some advice on how to overcome biases and the tendency to filter out challenges to pre-conceived beliefs:
- Find multiple sources of information before making up your mind.
- Ask yourself: what are the biases of my sources?
- Beware of a ‘good story,’ and determine whether the story is actually true.
- Improve your antennae for those who try to exert influence without data.
“You have to want to avoid the bias,” Spence concluded.
Gary Rasp is Communications Director for UT Austin’s Energy Institute.