Transitioning to the green economy relies on new developments that may change people's localities and involve certain risks. This study investigates how people form opinions about such developments, using mineral exploration and mining as an example. A representative sample (N = 1000) participated in a pre-registered online experiment. They were randomly assigned to (i) read information supporting or opposing mining, (ii) either state their position on the topic after reading this information or not, (iii) read counterarguments from the opposing perspective presented either alongside the original information or in isolation. We recorded a primacy effect: the first information that participants read biased subsequent opinion. This effect was reinforced when people were prompted to articulate their attitude before being exposed to the counterarguments and when they read counterarguments that integrated information about both risks and benefits of mining. These findings underscore the importance of the first information on the topic one encounters and suggest that opinions formed on the basis of this information can be difficult to change.

中文翻译：

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环境态度形成的首要效应：矿产勘探案例

向绿色经济转型依赖于新的发展，这些发展可能会改变人们的居住地并涉及一定的风险。本研究以矿产勘探和采矿为例，调查人们如何对此类发展形成看法。代表性样本（N = 1000）参与了预先注册的在线实验。他们被随机分配到（i）阅读支持或反对挖矿的信息，（ii）在阅读这些信息后陈述他们在该主题上的立场或不陈述他们的立场，（iii）阅读与原始信息一起或单独提出的反对观点的反驳。我们记录了首因效应：参与者阅读的第一个信息会对随后的观点产生偏见。当人们在受到反驳之前被提示阐明他们的态度，以及当他们阅读整合了有关采矿风险和收益的信息的反驳时，这种效果会得到加强。这些发现强调了人们遇到的主题的第一个信息的重要性，并表明根据这些信息形成的意见可能很难改变。