Public attitudes toward biofuels Effects of knowledge, political partisanship, and media use Micheal A. Cacciatore Andrew R. Binder Department of Life Sciences Communication Department of Communication University of Wisconsin-Madison North Carolina State University 1545 Observatory Drive 201 Winston Hall Hiram Smith Hall 307 Campus Box 8104 Madison, WI 53706 Raleigh, NC 27695 mcacciatore@wisc.edu arbinder@ncsu.edu Dietram A. Scheufele Bret R. Shaw Department of Life Sciences Communication Department of Life Sciences Communication University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Wisconsin-Madison 1545 Observatory Drive 1545 Observatory Drive Hiram Smith Hall 309 Hiram Smith Hall 316 Madison, WI 53706 Madison, WI 53706 scheuflele@wisc.edu brshaw@wisc.edu ABSTRACT . Despite large-scale investments and government mandates to expand biofuels development and infrastructure in the United States, little is known about how the public conceives of this alternative fuel technology. This study examines public opinion of biofuels by focusing on citizen knowledge and the motivated processing of media information. Specifically, we explore the direct effects of biofuels knowledge and the moderating effect of partisanship on the relationship between media use and benefit vs. risk perceptions in the following four domains: environmental impacts, economic consequences, ethical/social implications, and political ramifications. Our results suggest that more knowledgeable respondents see fewer benefits of biofuels relative to risks, and that Democrats and Republicans are affected differently by media use when forming opinions about biofuels. Among Democrats, greater attention to political media content leads to a more favorable outlook toward the technology across several domains of interest, while among Republicans, an increase in attention to political content has the opposite effect. Possible reasons for these results, as well as implications of the findings at the intersection of politics and the life sciences, are discussed. Key words: Biofuels, public opinion, risk perceptions, motivated reasoning, science knowledge, partisanship I n recent years, due in large part to the instability of oil prices and a desire to lessen dependence on foreign oil, the United States government has made development of renewable energies a top priority. As part of this commitment, the U.S. has mandated biofuels production and made hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in the fledgling industry. 1 However, government mandates and increased funding do not necessarily mean a technology will live up to its potential. Possible alternative energy solutions, such as biofuels, may only be useful to the extent that the public is willing to support their use and development. 2 As the controversy in Europe over genetically modified foods has demonstrated, a lack of public support, due doi: 10.2990/31_1-2_36 36 POLITICS AND THE LIFE SCIENCES  SPRING/FALL 2012  VOL. 31, NO. 1-2