WHY SIMPLY EDUCATING CUSTOMERS ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR. by DAVID C. LINEWEBER, Ph.D JANUARY 2013

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1 WHY SIMPLY EDUCATING CUSTOMERS ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR by DAVID C. LINEWEBER, Ph.D JANUARY 2013

2 Table of Contents 3 Why Simply Educating Customers About Energy Efficiency is Not Likely to Change Behavior 4 Perceptions About the Importance and Role of Energy Efficiency Are Closely Tied to Other Attitudes And Specifically to Political Orientation 5 Conservatives Do Feel More Positive About Their Current Situation Regarding Energy Use 6 About the Authors 6 Contact Us

3 Why Simply Educating Customers About Energy Efficiency is Not Likely to Change Behavior Summary 1 : Electric and gas utilities have spent considerable sums of money attempting to convince their customers that energy efficiency is important, and something that they as customers should consistently take into account as they purchase appliances and use energy on a day-today basis. Whether or not prior investments in communications on this subject have made much impact on these attitudes, the reality is that future communications on this issue are not likely to have much impact, at least on the 42% of the population which describes themselves as Conservatives. The issue here is that attitudes regarding energy efficiency do not exist in isolation they are one element in an organized set of attitudes that, together, represent a consistent view of energy issues. Conservatives say they are concerned about their own energy use, and consider themselves well informed about energy efficiency (more so than do Progressives) they just don t think that energy efficiency is something that their utility should be pursuing, but that rather, utilities should just pursue lower costs. Implication: It is reasonable to question at this point the incremental value that additional attempts by utilities to convince their customers that energy efficiency is (or should be) an important issue (especially when energy efficiency is portrayed as a social good) will have in changing behavior. Those who tend not to believe in energy efficiency do not have these opinions because they are ill informed (from their perspective). They simply don t agree, and this lack of agreement is tied to a whole bundle of other views about the world. Additional attempts to convince them that they are wrong are unlikely to be successful. Alternative methods to motivate this group to pursue energy efficiency will be necessary. 1 Results are based on a survey of 600 residential energy decision-makers who are directly billed for electricity service. Surveys were completed online and selected from among a sample of online survey panel members. YouGov Views on EE Are Difficult to Change 3

4 Perceptions About the Importance and Role of Energy Efficiency Are Closely Tied to Other Attitudes And Specifically to Political Orientation Our survey asked about customer views regarding the importance of energy efficiency to people s personal lives, but also asked about the extent to which people think that energy efficiency should be a priority that utilities pursue. One of the key findings from that research was that views about energy efficiency do not exist in a vacuum they are highly correlated with other opinions and the core of that opinion linkage is political orientation. After examining a wide variety of drivers for the opinion bundles that we were seeing, it became clear that overall political orientation accounted for substantially more variability on these issues than did any other single customer descriptor. We aggregated survey respondents into two gross categories, Progressives (those who describe themselves as Liberals, or other more left wing views), who made up 58% of our sample, and Conservatives (those who describe themselves as most closely aligned with Conservatives, the Tea Party, or other similar right wing views), who made up 42% of the sample. The table below summarizes some of the most obvious ways in which these two groups differ clearly on issues relating to environmental considerations but also in terms of their support for energy efficiency initiatives. The table reports the proportion of respondents who rate their agreement with item as 8 or higher on a 10-point scale. The bottom line here is that support for energy efficiency initiatives does not exist in a vacuum. Conservatives are significantly less likely to support these initiatives, but they are also significantly less likely to hold a variety of attitudes related to positive environmental considerations. Table 1: Initial Attitudinal Differences Between Progressives and Conservatives Progressives Conservatives Environmental Attitudes We are very concerned about the environmental effects associate with the generation and use of electricity Helping the environment is fine, but we re much more concerned about saving money The long term threat from global warming is real and potentially catastrophic We are willing to do things that cost a little more if they are likely to have a beneficial impact on the environment 43% 13% 30% 65% 71% 14% 34% 10% Our utility should do everything it can to supply renewable energy 53% 23% Attitudes Relating to Energy Efficiency Our utility should actively encourage customers to participate in energy efficiency programs Our utility should pursue energy efficiency initiatives even if it costs a little bit more 48% 32% 22% 2% Our utility should just do everything it can to keep costs low 19% 61% YouGov Views on EE Are Difficult to Change 4

5 Conservatives Do Feel More Positive About Their Current Situation Regarding Energy Use It is not the case that Conservatives do not care about energy, however quite the opposite. As is outlined in the table below, Conservatives are somewhat more likely that Progressives to say that they regularly review their home energy use, do a good job of using energy wisely, and are well informed about energy issues. They are also more likely to say that their utility is a leader in energy conservation and energy efficiency issues. Conservatives do care about energy use, then, and they think they (and their utility) are doing a pretty good job on this front. They just don t think that utilities should be spending money on energy efficiency programs. Table 2: Additional Attitudes On Issues Relating to Energy Use Progressives Conservatives We regularly review our home energy use 32% 39% We already do a good job of using energy wisely 32% 46% We are well informed about energy efficiency 28% 39% Our utility is a leader in energy conservation and energy efficiency 16% 27% YouGov Views on EE Are Difficult to Change 5

6 About the Author David Lineweber, PhD Managing Director, National Energy Practice Leader David Lineweber has more than 25 years research experience including roles as Head of Research at Cambridge Reports and Lead Energy Practice at National Analysts - Booz Allen. He was previously President at Primen & Momentum Market Intelligence. David earned his B.A. from University of Delaware and his Ph.D is from Stanford University. Contact Us Contact us for a free consultation to learn more about how we can help you create a successful segmentation effort. We will work with you to customize a solution for your specific needs. David Lineweber david.lineweber@yougov.com phone: YouGov Views on EE Are Difficult to Change 6