Wind Turbines, Public Acceptance, and Electoral Outcomes

Despite a widespread public support for wind energy in general, wind turbine proposals attract a considerable amount of public opposition. At a time of political commitments to building more wind turbines for climate risk mitigation, we study the potential causes of this opposition and their electoral effects. Our analysis draws on a survey experiment in Switzerland, where the number of wind turbines will grow from a couple of dozens to many hundreds in the next three decades. We find that exposure to wind turbines increases public acceptance, but this affect does not translate into electoral turnout or vote choice. Moreover, locality or politicisation does not seem to have an effect at all—neither on acceptance nor on electoral outcomes. Our results suggest that voters do not reward or punish political parties for their positions on wind energy, even when turbines might soon be rising in their local area.

Robo-Advice (RA): implications for the sociology of the professions

PurposeThis conceptual paper explores the implications for the sociology of the professions of robo-advice (RA) provided by robo-advisors (RAs) as an early example of successfully programmed algorithmic knowledge managed by artificial intelligence (AI).Design/methodology/approach The authors examine the drivers of RAs, their success, characteristics, and establish RA as an early precursor of commercialized, programmed professional advice with implications for developments in the sociology of the professions.FindingsWithin the lens of the sociology of the professions, the success of RAs suggests that the diffusion of this innovation depends on three factors: the programmed flows of automated professional knowledge are minimally disruptive, they are less costly, and attract attention because of the “on-trend” nature of algorithmic authority guided by AI. The on-trend nature of algorithmic governance and its increasing public acceptance points toward an algorithmic paradox. The contradictions arise in the gap between RA marketed to the public and as a set of professional practices.Practical implicationsThe incursion of RA-like disembodied advice into other professions is predicted given the emergence of tech-savvy clients, the tie between RA and updatable flows of big data, and an increasing shift to the “maker” or “do-it-yourself” movements.Originality/valueUsing the success of RAs in the financial industry, the authors predict that an AI-managed platform, despite the algorithmic paradox, is an avenue for growth with implications for researchers in the sociology of the professions.

Will Communication of Job Creation Facilitate Diffusion of Innovations in the Automobile Industry?

The electrification and automation of vehicles are two upcoming trends in the automobile industry. However, these two new technologies also raise public concerns related to road safety, range, and, most crucially, job creation in the automotive and transportation industries. This study investigates if job creation facilitates the diffusion of innovation. Analysis of 32,006 tweets from 33 global automobile manufacturers and their international job creation records revealed that communication of job creation can improve stakeholders’ adverse social media engagement on vehicle electrification and automation, the latest innovations in transportation and logistics. Car manufacturers should continually communicate their job creation achievements to gain public acceptance when introducing innovations, which may improve the diffusion of innovations.

Attitude and Views towards Mental Health among Dental Students

Introduction: Stress can be a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that can make us feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demands. Aim: The aim of the study is to assess attitude and views towards mental health and psychiatry among dental students. Materials and Methods: Study Setting is prospective observational study.The advantages of this study was economical, easy to create, wide reach, and gathering larger data Quick Interpretation . It was approved by the scientific review Board Saveetha Dental college Chennai .Number of participants involved in this study are 138 college students .The responses from the google sheet were transferred into excel. Inferential statistics was done using Chi square test and exported to SPSS software, version 25 Results: From the survey conducted among dental students on mental health and psychiatry.Majority of dental students were female participants compared male participants.Interpretation was based on a p value less than 0.05, which was considered to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings of the present study proves that the majority of dental students have awareness of attitudes and views of mental health .Among dental students, females are the major participants compared to males. In order to develop psychiatric and mental health services, public acceptance is necessary.