Decarbonizing the energy system is necessary to address climate change, yet the transition to low-carbon energy resources has been slow, and climate change continues to be a politically polarizing issue in the United States. Past research has shown that people want a future energy mix that is decarbonized but disagree on the policies to get there (Miniard et al., 2020). How do residents of Indiana, a historically Republican state which primarily relies on fossil fuel resources, think about the current and future energy mix and energy policy at the state level? We surveyed and interviewed Indiana residents (N = 48) to identify the motivations and perceptions driving their preferences for energy resources and support or opposition to state and federal energy policies. We find that a majority of participants want a decarbonized state energy mix in 2050 that primarily relies on solar and wind and decreases the use of fossil fuels. Support for decarbonization is driven by themes of protecting the environment and public health, reducing pollution, improving the economy, using low cost and available resources, and holding polluters accountable. We find that climate change is not a strong motivating factor. In contrast, opposition to decarbonization is driven by economic and employment concerns, fear, lack of familiarity, doubting the feasibility of renewable sources, and concerns about fairness. Thus, participants have nuanced reasons driving their support or opposition to decarbonizing the Indiana energy system, which are dependent on the energy source and policy and are not tied to climate change.

能源系统脱碳是应对气候变化的必要条件，但向低碳能源资源的转型进展缓慢，气候变化在美国仍然是一个政治两极分化的问题。过去的研究表明，人们希望未来的能源组合脱碳，但在实现目标的政策上存在分歧（Miniard 等，2020）。印第安纳州这个历史上主要依赖化石燃料资源的共和党州的居民如何考虑当前和未来的能源结构和州一级的能源政策？我们对印第安纳州居民 (N = 48) 进行了调查和访谈，以确定他们对能源资源的偏好以及支持或反对州和联邦能源政策的动机和看法。我们发现大多数参与者希望在 2050 年实现脱碳状态能源组合，主要依赖太阳能和风能并减少化石燃料的使用。支持脱碳的主题是保护环境和公众健康、减少污染、改善经济、使用低成本和可用资源以及追究污染者的责任。我们发现气候变化不是一个强有力的推动因素。相比之下，反对脱碳的原因是经济和就业问题、恐惧、不熟悉、怀疑可再生能源的可行性以及对公平性的担忧。因此，参与者有细微的理由支持或反对印第安纳州能源系统的脱碳，这取决于能源和政策，与气候变化无关。