Why do people say they want solar but don't adopt it?
The biggest puzzle in solar adoption is the gap between awareness and action. A 2025–2026 mixed-methods study of over 4,300 U.S. households found that social expectations for community solar actually increased year-over-year, but self-efficacy — people's confidence that they could actually sign up and benefit — dropped from 32.3% to 27% nationally [1]. In Boston, self-efficacy stayed stable and perceived personal benefits rose from 42.8% to 48.2%, yet adoption remained low in both contexts [1][2]. This means that even when people know about solar and think it's a good idea, they don't follow through because they don't trust the process or feel capable of navigating it.
A separate systematic review of 96 peer-reviewed studies (2000–2024) confirms that adoption is shaped not just by economics but by institutional trust, social norms, and cognitive biases [4]. The review found that marginalized communities face persistent barriers including institutional distrust and limited awareness, even when financial incentives are available [4]. So the problem isn't price — it's that people need to believe the system is reliable, fair, and something their neighbors actually use.
How does trust and seeing neighbors adopt change behavior?
Trust is the hidden engine of solar adoption, and it works through social networks. A 2021 study in rural China found that neighbors had the greatest influence on who adopted solar PV, and village agents — trusted local figures — were crucial for spreading information and building trust [6]. In rural Zambia, a 2025 qualitative study of 120 subsistence farmers and 16 commercial farmers showed that peer influence and observational learning (seeing neighbors use solar) significantly boosted adoption intention and willingness to pay [3]. The study emphasized that shifting individual and community mindsets is essential for project sustainability, and that emphasizing individual benefits leads to broader community advantages as participation grows [3].
A large-scale U.S. field experiment (2021) tested a program where municipalities chose a solar installer and used volunteer ambassadors to run informational campaigns. The result: a causal treatment effect of 37 additional solar installations per municipality, with no evidence of harvesting or persistence — meaning the effect was real and not just pulling forward future adopters [5]. The program worked by lowering consumer acquisition costs and leveraging social learning, not just by offering group pricing [5]. This shows that trusted messengers and peer interactions are more powerful than price discounts alone.
What practical steps can close the trust gap?
The evidence points to three concrete actions: simplify enrollment, make savings transparent and guaranteed, and use trusted community messengers. The 2025–2026 U.S. studies explicitly recommend simplifying enrollment, making savings transparent and guaranteed, and leveraging trusted community messengers and social proof to boost self-efficacy and translate interest into sign-ups [1][2]. In China, village-wide technology demonstrations, conversations with local adopters, and town hall discussions with village leaders reduced residents' fears and increased knowledge [6]. However, skepticism about whether promised government subsidies would actually arrive prevented many from adopting — showing that trust in institutions is as important as trust in neighbors [6].
The systematic review of 96 studies calls for integrated policy responses that combine financial incentives with inclusive engagement strategies, and emphasizes the need for depoliticized communication to bridge the intention-action gap [4]. Across all six studies, the consistent message is that incentives are necessary but insufficient without behavioral and structural fixes that build trust and make adoption feel easy, safe, and socially normal [1][2][3][4][5][6].
About These Sources
This answer is built on 6 peer-reviewed studies — published from 2021 to 2026, 4 from 2024 or later, 2 in Q1 journals, collectively cited 142 times — selected as the most relevant from 6 studies that passed quality screening, drawn from 38 papers retrieved from a database of over 500 million.
Sources used in this answer
Behavioral drivers and barriers to community solar adoption in the United States: A mixed-methods study
A 2025–2026 mixed-methods U.S. study (national n=1,528 in 2023; n=1,795 in 2024; Boston n=1,014 in 2023; n=1,015 in 2024) found that while social expectations for community solar increased, self-efficacy declined nationally from 32.3% to 27%, and adoption remained low — revealing a critical awareness-to-action gap driven by trust deficits and enrollment complexity [1].
Understanding the Behavioral Determinants and Barriers to Community Solar Adoption in the United States: A Mixed Method Analysis
A companion 2025 mixed-methods U.S. study (same surveys) showed Boston had stable self-efficacy and rising personal benefit perceptions (42.7% to 48.2%), yet adoption stayed low, highlighting that policy support alone is insufficient without addressing behavioral and structural barriers like knowledge gaps and trust issues [2].
Community-led solar energy technology adoption in rural Zambia: The role of observational learning and neighbor influence
A 2025 qualitative study in rural Zambia (58 interviews, 7 focus groups, 120 subsistence farmers, 16 commercial farmers) found that peer influence and observational learning significantly impact solar PV adoption, and that shifting community mindsets through systematic knowledge dissemination is crucial for project sustainability [3].
Perception and Challenges of Solar Energy Adoption in the United States: A Systematic Review for Future Directions
A 2025 systematic review of 96 peer-reviewed publications (2000–2024) found that solar adoption is influenced by institutional trust, social norms, and cognitive biases, not just economics, and that marginalized communities face persistent barriers including institutional distrust and limited awareness [4].
Social Learning and Solar Photovoltaic Adoption
A 2021 large-scale field experiment in U.S. municipalities found that volunteer ambassador campaigns leveraging social learning caused 37 additional solar installations per municipality, with no evidence of harvesting or persistence, and lowered installation prices — showing peer interactions are more powerful than group pricing alone [5].
Linking social-psychological factors with policy expectation: Using local voices to understand solar PV poverty alleviation in Wuhan, China
A 2021 study of low-income villagers in Wuhan, China found that neighbors had the greatest influence on solar adoption, village agents were crucial for building trust, and skepticism about receiving promised government subsidies prevented many from adopting [6].