Young people’s acceptance of bioenergy and the influence of attitude strength on information provision

• DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.02.010
• Publication Date: 2017-02-08T02:30:20Z
• Authors: Miet Van Dael; Sebastien Lizin; Gilbert Swinnen; Steven Van Passel
• Keywords: bioenergy; education; perception; attitude strength; social acceptance; market acceptance; Bioenergy; Education; Perception; Attitude strength; Social acceptance; Market acceptance; 0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering; 02 engineering and technology; 16. Peace & justice; 7. Clean energy

Abstract This study investigated the effects of using a standardized PowerPoint lecture to provide young people with nuanced information about bioenergy. The study’s aim was to understand the relationship between knowledge and participants’ perception of bioenergy, and the relationship of the latter to participants’ attitude strength and intention to use and learn about bioenergy. Data were collected from 715 participants using a survey instrument that contained mainly Likert-scale questions. Data were then processed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Results show that providing such information increases knowledge about bioenergy, but does relatively little to create a more positive perception of bioenergy. In turn, having a more positive view about bioenergy would lead to a higher intention to use bioenergy. Attitude strength was found to mediate the previous relationship and decreases the strength of the relationship between perception and intention to use. Results also show that the lecture weakly contributed to building attitude strength, rendering opinion change less likely in the future. We conclude that listening to a lecture on bioenergy slightly improves people’s perception of bioenergy, makes it more likely that people maintain such a disposition, and translates into a slightly higher intention to use bioenergy.