AbstractPublic acceptance can play an important role in determining the trajectory of hydropower development and modernization as well as the adoption of mitigation measures. Particularly in the planning stages of hydropower projects and modernization, local public resistance may delay progress and completion. For this reason, it is important to understand how to study local public perceptions of hydropower to improve project implementation and reduce public resistance. This chapter provides an overview of public perception of hydropower projects, describes methods for studying public acceptance and presents an application of the Q-methodology in four Europe case studies from hydropower-intensive regions.