The ‘Value-Action Gap’ in Public Attitudes towards Sustainable Energy: The Case of Hydrogen Energy

Abstract

There is now increasing evidence that the public has become much more aware of global warming, climate change and environmental risks. This has been repeatedly demonstrated in a number of official surveys and other research. However, the salience of these issues varies; for some social groups, there are other more significant problems and urgent priorities. It has also been found that while expressing strong beliefs about the negative consequences of global warming, or dependence on fossil fuels, or more positive approval of alternative and renewable energy sources, people do not seem to have translated those opinions into practical actions to limit their energy use in their domestic consumption, lifestyles, or travel patterns, for example. It is this apparent 'discrepancy' between stated beliefs (and values) and behaviour, which comprises the so-called 'value-action gap'. Various writers have observed this in different contexts previously, as will be discussed below. In this chapter, we examine the importance of the value-action gap in relation to hydrogen energy and the emerging hydrogen economy. Qualitative and quantitative data are presented from a series of focus groups and a telephone questionnaire survey of selected samples in seven different areas of England and Wales 1 . The chapter first gives a very brief outline of the nature of hydrogen energy and its potential uses as an innovative technology. Secondly, it reviews selected literature about public attitudes towards environmental and energy issues and the apparent valueaction gap. Findings from our recent research are then discussed. Finally, some general conclusions are offered to account for the ambivalence revealed in this case of hydrogen energy, and the disjunction between people's awareness of an energy crisis and their reluctance to change behaviour. Hydrogen energy and the 'hydrogen economy'With the rapid depletion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil), governments and energy corporations have been increasingly investing in research and development in alternative and sustainable (renewable) energy sources. The Stern

The Socio-Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Residential Energy Consumption: A Comprehensive Review

“…), but they do not inherently lead to actual reductions in energy use per se [46,53,54,100]. This discrepancy has been referred to as a "value-action gap" and/or "attitude-action gap", and has been observed across many domains of human behavior [26,[101][102][103]. Consistent with this notion, daily life illustrates many situations where people express strong beliefs about the negative consequences of environmental problems (e.g., global warming, climate change, reliance on fossil fuels), or positive evaluations of sustainability and "green" technologies (e.g., renewable energy sources), but fail to translate those beliefs, values and attitudes into practical actions to limit household energy use.…”

“…Consistent with this notion, daily life illustrates many situations where people express strong beliefs about the negative consequences of environmental problems (e.g., global warming, climate change, reliance on fossil fuels), or positive evaluations of sustainability and "green" technologies (e.g., renewable energy sources), but fail to translate those beliefs, values and attitudes into practical actions to limit household energy use.  Several scholars have offered useful explanations for how and why environmental attitudes have varying, and typically very small, impacts on pro-environmental behavior (e.g., [8,20,68,102,104]). For example, people typically make choices and behave in ways that minimize costs and maximise benefits to themselves (in terms of time, effort, money, comfort, etc.)…”

“…Accepting personal responsibility for sustainable energy use is therefore hypothesized to be a positive predictor of energy-saving behavior [43,94,95,130]. However, the strength of this relationship may be weak due to the same processes implicated in the aforementioned "value-action gap" [26,[101][102][103].  In terms of empirical evidence, Hummel et al [131] (cited in Van Raaij & Verhallen, 1983a) found that perceived self-blame of energy consumers was related to a greater willingness to save energy, whereas diffusing blame for the energy crisis was related to less willingness to conserve.…”

“…In the end, there may often be a marked "value-action gap" and/or "attitude-action gap" [26,102,103].…”

Self-identity threat and resistance to change: Evidence from regular travel behaviour

“…The mismatch between responses to surveys of values, attitudes or beliefs and actual behaviour has been termed the "value action gap" and has been widely documented in relation to a range of sustainable behaviours (Chung & Leung, 2007;Flynn, Bellaby, & Ricci, 2009). …”