We thank @aklin.bsky.social, @retobuergisser.bsky.social, T. Shibaike, A. Uji and @epgonline.bsky.social / EPG / EPSA participants for comments and the Swiss Federal Ministry of the Environment for funding.

Together, NIMBYism of residents who feel they face localized negative consequences of 5G antennas in their immediate vicinity, and a large share of citizens against this technology on principled terms can help account for the strong contestation of 5G in Switzerland at the time of our survey.

Especially those in close proximity to antennas exhibit NIMBYism. This tendency is, against our expectations, stronger among those ex ante positively inclined toward 5G in principle. In additional experiments, we show that proximate respondents have a high willingness to pay for tangible opposition.

We draw on a survey experiment in which we reveal maps with real-world, household-specific information on 5G antenna placement to a random set of Swiss residents. Survey respondents were previously largely unaware of antenna locations, and relevantly increase worry for proximity under treatment.