
Anna-Lisa Linden
Professor emerita

Energy Behaviour: Does generation matter?
Författare
Summary, in English
The results show that there are no differences in environmental attitudes between generations. Generally, the concern with climate change is high and both young and old think it is important to conserve energy. However, energy related behaviour differed between age groups. The young people preferred higher temperatures indoors than the old ones, they liked showering better than bathing, they often used electric kettles for heating water because it was faster than other alternatives and they seldom rinsed the plates in warm water before putting them in the dish washer. The old people bathed more often than the young ones, their refrigerators and freezers were older but they valued energy efficiency higher. The old people showed more acceptances for lowering indoor temperature, they put lids on cooking pots more often and they more often aired clothes instead of washing them. All these behaviours impact electricity use and the demand for space heating and hot water. Some behaviour common among the young generation are favourable for energy efficiency, others are not.
Scenarios of energy futures should take such differences in behaviour between generations into account. They should also be considered in policymaking, when planning information campaigns and when designing other policy instruments.
Avdelning/ar
- Sociologi
Publiceringsår
2003
Språk
Engelska
Dokumenttyp
Konferensbidrag
Ämne
- Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)
Nyckelord
- energy efficiency
- sociology
- generations
- energy use
- sociologi
Conference name
Nordic Environment Network
Conference date
2003-06-10 - 2003-06-13
Conference place
Turku/åbo, Finland
Aktiv
Published
Projekt
- Households and energy behaviour
Forskningsgrupp
- Sustainability and Development Studies