Exploring the Association of Communication Satisfaction with the Oil and Natural Gas Industry and Risk Perceptions of Shale Energy Development

Abstract

Despite the vast literature on shale energy development, surprisingly little empirical research has been conducted on the shale energy communicators, communication practices, and community outreach programs. Using data drawn from a random sample of individuals in two counties in the Eagle Ford Shale region of south Texas, we present a newly-constructed unidimensional scale that can be used to measure stakeholders’ level of satisfaction with the oil and natural gas industry’s communication performance. We then examine the relationship between individuals’ level of communication satisfaction with the oil and gas industry and their perceptions of risk in regard to shale energy development in the Eagle Ford Shale. We find substantial support for the hypothesis that communication satisfaction with the oil and natural gas industry is negatively associated with risk perception. We conclude the paper with several suggestions for future research.

Keywords:

• Communication satisfaction
• public perception
• shale energy
• survey research
• trust

Notes

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 24^th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Snowbird, UT, June 2018.

Notes

1 A map of the Eagle Ford shale created by the Railroad Commission of Texas illustrating the number and spatial distribution of completed and permitted oil and gas wells can be found at https://www.rrc.state.tx.us/oil-gas/major-oil-and-gas-formations/eagle-ford-shale-information.

2 These additional core counties include: Atascosa, Bee, DeWitt, Dimmit, Frio, Gonzales, Lavaca, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Webb, Wilson, and Zavala.

3 For detailed information on the characteristics of the sampled respondents from Karnes County and La Salle County, see Theodori and Uzunian (2015a, 2015b).

4 Nine respondents selected the “don’t know” response category.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA). The information presented in this paper does not necessarily reflect the views or positions of DOE or RPSEA.