Thinking Habits into Action: the role of knowledge and process in questioning household consumption practices

Hobson, Kersty

doi:10.1080/13549830306673

Cited by 79 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…Survey respondents who had already installed energy saving light-bulbs in their home further indicated they were prevented or discouraged from installing more such light-bulbs, for reasons of practicality or comfort -specifically, incompatible light fittings or poor light quality [35,49]. Nevertheless, and as Hobson contends, household practices do not change through the acquisition of 'better' scientific knowledge alone, but through the links that individuals make between wider environmental concerns and their own everyday experiences [50].…”

Section: Knowledge Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Versus Energy Saving Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Non-significant Correlationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This might be explained in part by the uncertain role of environmental knowledge as a driver of pro-environmental actions. Section 4.1.2 refers to literature which contends that even where people possess higher awareness of environmental impacts, they may not necessarily engage in more energy efficient behaviour [48,50].Thirdly and lastly, paying more for electricity instead of changing behaviour, heating all or parts of the home and reducing temperature or turning off heating, do not correlate with valuing the environment, knowledge of energy saving or CO 2 emissions. Two of these variables are about heating and one is about willingness to pay for higher consumption.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study

2016

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Energy consumption in households comprises over a quarter of total energy use in the UK [1]. Human behaviour is one of the main factors that can influence domestic energy consumption, together with the physical properties of the dwelling, climate, number and demographic profile of occupants, household income, lifestyle, and appliance ownership and use [2][3][4][5]. Indeed, variation in residents' behaviour can cause significant differences in energy consumption between dwellings with otherwise similar characteristics (e.g. household size, income, and building energy performance) [3,6]. It is therefore important to understand influences upon behaviour in households as these in turn have implications for domestic energy use. In this respect, strategies to stimulate pro-environmental behaviour represent one means of modifying behaviour in households in order to promote energy conservation and reduce environmental impact [7].Pro-environmental behaviour is a form of environmental action that 'consciously seeks to minimize the negative impact of one's actions on the natural and built world ' [8, p.240], and 'only refers to those personal actions that are directly related to environmental improvement ' [9, p.325]. Such environmental actions can be performed individually or collectively, and may be direct or indirect in their approach to mitigating harm to, and improving, the environment [9]. Pro-environmental behaviours can also be influenced by internal factors such as environmental awareness, values and attitudes [10] and external factors such as social norms, interaction with other individuals and financial constraints [11,12].In this study we assess how environmental knowledge influences pro-environmental behaviour in households. We establish and confirm links between knowledge about the environment and energy, actions on Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study AbstractIn this paper we evaluate the impact of knowledge about environmental and energy issues on potential pro-environmental behaviour in households, specifically relating to behaviours, attitudes and habits towards energy use. Our results are based on an empirical survey and we find significant correlations which indicate that residents with positive environmental values and greater environmental knowledge are more likely to demonstrate energy behaviours, attitudes and habits which lead to energy saving activities in households. This is further supported through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which suggests that energy saving behaviour may also vary according to gender and employment status. Conversely, we find only limited evidence of statistical associations between environmental predisposition and knowledge, and ownership and frequency of use of household appliances. We argue that our results contribute to the significant body of literature supporting the role of knowledge in active engagement with energy issues. This study is timely following closely policy developments in activ...

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Section: Knowledge Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Versus Energy Saving Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Non-significant Correlationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study

2016

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“…Moreover, the most educated and those considering themselves to be high on the social staircase are more worried about environmental issues, and this places the role of social status at the heart of this debate. Ek and Söderholm (2008) and Kotchen and Moore (2007) show that environmental awareness largely influences the choice of green electricity for household use, while Hobson (2003) suggests that many of the programs aiming to affect the consumption patterns of individuals for environmental purposes have been ineffective. Thus, it would be interesting to examine whether environmental awareness affects the more general consumption of polluting goods, such as energy usage, for a general population sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental awareness, consumption, and labor supply: Empirical evidence from household survey data

Iosifidi

2016

Ecological Economics

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“…Research from Australia and the UK shows that consumers are motivated by a range of factors, not just economic dimensions and not just environmental ethics (Hobson, 2003(Hobson, , 2004Gregson and Crewe, 2003;Gregson et al, 2007;Lane et al, 2009;Lane, 2011;Barr and Gilg, 2006;. As the provision of kerbside collection of materials and associated infrastructures have made recycling a great deal more convenient, new social norms have emerged.…”

Section: Agency Responsibility and The Meso-scalementioning

confidence: 99%

Stewardship of things: The radical potential of product stewardship for re-framing responsibilities and relationships to products and materials

Lane

Watson

2012

Geoforum

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Abstract:In the context of broad-based concerns about the need to move towards a more sustainable materials economy, particularly as they are expressed in debates around ecological modernisation (EM), we argue that product stewardship has radical potential as a means to promote significant change in the relationship between society and the material world. We focus on two important dimensions that have been neglected in approaches to product stewardship to date. Firstly, we argue that immanent within the basic concept of stewardship is a problematisation of dominant understandings of property ownership in neoliberal market economies. In the space opened up by notions of stewardship, different ways of enacting both rights and responsibilities to products and materials emerge which have potential to advance the sustainability of material economies. Secondly, through exploration of existing expressions of product stewardship, we uncover a neglected scale of action. Both policy and dominant articulations of EM focus primarily on the efficiency of production processes; and secondarily, the attitudes and behaviours of individual consumers. Missing from this is the 'meso-scale' of social collectives including households, neighbourhoods, more distributed communities and small scale social enterprises. Based on a review of existing research from Australia and the UK, including our own, we argue that understanding of embedded practices of material responsibility at the household scale can both reinvigorate the concept of product stewardship as a potentially radical intervention, and reveal the potential of the meso-scale as a challenging but worthwhile realm of policy intervention.Stewardship of things: The radical potential of product stewardship for re-framing responsibilities and relationships to products and materials Lane and Watson 2

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Thinking Habits into Action: the role of knowledge and process in questioning household consumption practices

Cited by 79 publications

References 34 publications

Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study

Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study

Environmental awareness, consumption, and labor supply: Empirical evidence from household survey data

Stewardship of things: The radical potential of product stewardship for re-framing responsibilities and relationships to products and materials

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