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Young People as Environmental Decision Makers

Young People as Environmental Decision Makers

Investigating whether young people can improve energy efficiency in their own homes

Can young people play a role in improving energy efficiency behaviour within their own homes?
 
And is the information provided to Energy Efficiency Advice Centres (EEACs) by young people more or less reliable than that provided by their parents and/or guardians?
 
The purpose of this project was to go some way to answering these questions.

During 1996 and 1997, home energy data was collected from 607 households within five Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC) areas in Scotland, South Wales and the South West of England. Four different approaches to collecting the data were adopted:

  • Involving young people at primary and at secondary levels with a presentation by EEAC staff in the school
  • Involving young people at primary and at secondary levels without a presentation by EEAC staff in the school
  • Using the telephone survey with householders as part of the normal EEAC operation
  • Using the self-completion survey with householders as part of the normal EEAC operation
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The future of the earth is in his hands

This data collection phase was followed by the EEAC providing written energy efficiency advice to the participating households. These households were then surveyed during a follow-up home visit, in order to identify:

  • the householders' understanding of energy efficiency
  • the householders' intentions to invest in efficiency measures
  • the factors that influenced the householders' views
  • the accuracy of information provided about the home

During the second year, a telephone survey was carried out to identify what householders had actually done in terms of energy efficiency improvements. Approximately 350 householders from the original sample took part in the telephone survey.

Research throughout the first year focused on the impact on householders' intentions to invest in energy efficiency improvements. The second year research studied the degree to which these intentions were turned into energy efficiency actions.

Our research found three things:
  1. The accuracy with which young people can collect data about their home is comparable with that collected by adults using a self-completion home energy survey
  2. The influence of children as quoted by their parents/ guardians is far higher in the school group than in the adult group
  3. The involvement of young people, together with the provision of written energy advice, as part of a school-based project can significantly influence energy efficiency improvements within the home. This influence increases substantially over time. Householders involved by their children carry out levels of energy efficiency improvements comparable with adults contacting an EEAC direct

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