a sustainable energy transition Linda Steg University of Groningen, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 1 Human dimension of a sustainable energy transition Linda Steg University of Groningen, Department of Psychology

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 2 Commission proposes new rules for consumer centred clean energy transition Consumers are active and central players on future energy markets http://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/commission-proposes-new-rules-consumer-centred-clean-energy-transition

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 3 3 SSH and energy transition Sustainable energy transition requires behaviour changes and public support: Adopt and use renewable energy sources  Adopt and use of energy efficient technology  Refurbishment  Adopt and use monitoring/control technology  Adopt and use storage facilities  Change user behaviour: reduce and balance  Changes and policy need to be acceptable 

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 4 4 Understand behaviour and policy acceptability › Individual factors: e.g. values, norms, motives, perceptions › Contextual factors: e.g. institutions, policy, spatial, economics, technology, culture, law › Normative analysis, ethics › Interdisciplinary approach

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 5 Steg & De Groot (2012); Steg, Perlaviciute, Van der Werff & Lurvink (2014)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 6

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 7 Values and preferences Egoistic and biospheric values: › Define what is important  consequences for self or environment › Shape overall positive or negative views › Help maintain positive or negative views  Motivated cognition – I support (or oppose) it, so it has many (dis)advantages Perlaviciute & Steg (2014, 2015)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 8 Value conflict › Sustainable energy behaviours can be costly, effortful or inconvenient › Reduce value conflict  Make sustainable energy behaviour beneficial  Target biospheric values Steg, Bolderdijk, Keizer, & Perlaviciute (2014); Steg (2015, 2016)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 9 Environment Control Money Bolderdijk, Steg, Geller, Lehman & Postmes (2013)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 10 Eudaimonia › Acting sustainably feels good as it is meaningful › Positive self signal › Encourages consistent sustainable actions Meaning of Positive Sustainable energy Feeling good behaviour self-signal behaviour about behaviour Venhoeven (2016); Venhoeven, Bolderdijk & Steg (2013, 2016)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | Sustainable energy behaviour and warm glow Taufik, Bolderdijk & Steg (2014)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | Positive self-signal Taufik, Bolderdijk & Steg ( 2014 )

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 13 Environmental self-identity Biospheric values Sustainable Environmental energy self-identity behaviour Past behaviour Van der Werff, Steg, & Keizer (2013a; 2013b)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 14 Symbolic value Importance ratings Beliefs 7,0 Instrumental 6,0 n.s. 5,0 β = .38 Signal 4,0 β = .25 3,0 Interest in LE Environmental 2,0 R 2 = .35 1,0 Instrumental Environmental Signal Noppers, Keizer, Bolderdijk & Steg (2014)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 15 Contexts affects whether people act upon biospheric values › Context may facilitate or inhibit behaviour › Context affects which consequences considered  Norm (dis)respect cues  CER Ruepert et al. (under review); Steg, Bolderdijk, Keizer & Perlaviciute (2014); Steg (2015, 2016)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 16

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 17 Graffiti versus no graffiti Flyer at handlebar of bicycles How many people litter the flyer? Keizer, Lindenberg, & Steg (2008)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 18 No graffiti (N= 77) 33% Graffiti (N=77): 69% Keizer, Lindenberg, & Steg (2008)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 19 Keizer, Lindenberg, & Steg (2013)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 20 Clean environment 40% Picking up soda can 64% Sweeping 82% Keizer, Lindenberg & Steg (2013)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 21 Corporate Environmental Sustainability More sustainable energy behaviour: › when employees strongly endorse biospheric values › when they believe their organisation is committed to CER › CER particularly encourages sustainable energy behaviour when employees do not strongly endorse biospheric values Ruepert, Keizer & Steg (under review)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 22 Conclusions › Reduce value conflicts › Target situational factors that activate and support biospheric values  Reminders of previous sustainable energy behaviour  ‘ Good ’ behaviour of others  CER › Normative route: solid base and cost efficient Steg, Bolderdijk, Keizer & Perlaviciute (2014); Steg (2016)

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 23 23 Mission PERSON Platform for Energy Research in the Socio-Economic Nexus To unite and advise on European top-class SSH energy research on the human dimensions of sustainable energy transitions to promote a secure, clean and efficient energy system. See: person.eu

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 24 24 Aim PERSON 1. Establish platform top SSH research Dialogue: non-SSH, industry, ETPs, government,  civil society 2. State of the Societal Energy Union Interdisciplinary state of the art  3. Strategic Integrated Research Agenda (SIRA) Share with EC, science foundations, funding agencies  Promote implementation of SIRA  4. Yearly meeting EU Sustainable Energy Week, June 22 2017 

faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences Date 18-11-2013 | 25 25 Strategic Integrated Research Agenda 2016 1. Understanding energy use behaviour 2. Promoting sustainable energy use 3. Acceptability energy systems and policies 4. Multi-method approach 5. Cross-cultural research 6. Interdisciplinary research

Thank you! faculty of behavioural psychology and social sciences e.m.steg@rug.nl Date 18-11-2013 | 26