ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the characteristics of national-level policy actors involved in making policies regarding hydraulic fracturing. It explores how differences in characteristics among policy actors are associated with varying perceptions of issue contentiousness. The chapter provides insight into how policy actors involved in high-conflict policy issues may differentiate themselves on perceptions of the level of contentiousness of a policy issue. By exploring the beliefs and preferences of individuals involved in a high-conflict policy issue, and how those belief structures shape perceptions, we can better understand the development of environmental policy conflicts. The policy conflict surrounding oil and gas development that uses hydraulic fracturing is highly consequential for land use and management and is relatively contentious, and there are several individual traits and cognitive characteristics that are associated with the position. The chapter explores the belief structures of individual respondents to understand how cognitive characteristics, such as perceived threat, may be associated with perceptions of issue contentiousness.
