² Cambridge Energy Research Associates/Opinion Dynamics. June 1992. Fueling the Race for the Presidency. Cambridge, MA; Dunlap, R.E. 1991a. "Public Opinion in the 1980s: Clear Consensus, Ambiguous Commitment." Environment 33: 12; Dunlap 1991b. "Trends in Public Opinion toward Environmental Issues." Soc. Nat. Res. 4: 285-312; Dunlap, R.E., and R. Scarce. 1991. "Trends: Environmental Problems and Protection." Public Opinion Quarterly 55:651-672.
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³ Dunlap and Scarce 1991, p. 655.
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⁴ Dunlap 1991a, p. 34; Farhar, B.C. 1993. Trends in Public Perceptions and Preferences on Energy and Environmental Policy. NREL/TP-461-4857, Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 376 pp. See especially chapters 9 and 10.
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⁵ 1979-1996, when questions comparing preferences among energy alternatives were asked.
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⁶ Because environmental concern and preferences for efficiency and renewables are so widespread and empirical findings on demographics are mixed, no clear empirical patterns associate preferences for these energy alternatives with demographic variables such as age, income, education, or political orientation.
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⁷ Farhar, B.C., P. Weis, C.T. Unseld, and B. Burns. 1979. Public Opinion About Energy: A Literature Review. SERI/TR-53-155, Golden, CO: Solar Energy Research Institute, 450 pp.; Farhar, B.C., C.T. Unseld, R. Vories, and R. Crews. 1980. "Public Opinion about Energy." Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 5: 141-72.; Farhar 1993; Farhar, B.C. 1994a. "Trends: Public Opinion about Energy." Public Opinion Quarterly: 58, 603-632; Farhar, B.C. 1994b. "Trends in U.S. Public Perceptions and Preferences on Energy and Environmental Policy." Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 19: 211-239; Dunlap 1991a, b. See citations in these publications for many other sources.
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⁸ The term "energy efficiency" is used broadly to include getting more work from a given unit of energy or using less energy to provide energy services through both lifestyle changes and investments in technology improvements.
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⁹ Notice the pairs of vertical lines toward the right of the figure. These show a 7-year gap during which Roper did not include this question in its omnibus surveys. No record exists of opinion between 1982 and 1989. Instead, we suddenly see that opinion, which had been somewhat evenly divided, diverged dramatically in the direction of preference for increased environmental regulation. As noted, the 7-year period roughly coincided with the Reagan administration and a period of relatively stable energy prices.
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¹⁰ Peter D. Hart Research Associates and Research/Strategy/Management 1996.
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¹¹ Farhar 1993.
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¹² The question s premise is flawed. Solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear are sources of electricity, and only 4% of electricity comes from oil. To what extent can these energy sources actually replace foreign oil? The use of this question s wording, and the public response to it, demonstrate a lack of "systems thinking" about energy.
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¹³ The perception on the part of respondents who said that solar energy is least expensive (32%) may be based on the notion that the sun is a free source of energy.
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¹⁴ Farhar 1994b, p. 218ff.
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¹⁵ Two types of changes can help protect and improve the environment: (1) lifestyle (or behavioral) changes and (2) institutional changes. Individuals can change daily habits and invest in energy efficiency improvements in homes and transportation. These behavioral changes can extend to market and voting behavior when people understand what to do, have some action available within their normal choices, and are not blocked by institutional barriers (Kempton, Willett. 1993. "Will public environmental concern lead to action on global warming?" Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 18:217-45.) The newest policy and program initiatives stress institutional rather than lifestyle changes. These include, for example, energy efficiency financing by the mortgage industry and utility green-pricing programs.
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¹⁶ Farhar 1994a, p. 218.
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¹⁷ "CPL's Deliberative Poll Results Show Customer Preference for Mix of Options to Meet Future Energy Needs." Central Power and Light Company News Release, Corpus Christi, TX, June 6, 1996.
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¹⁸ Rabago, Karl R. "Deliberative Poll Shows Ark-La-Tex Residents Want Clean Energy." Environmental Defense Fund, Austin, TX, September 3, 1996 ; and Rabago, Karl R.. "Deliberative Poll Shows West Texans Want Clean Energy Future." Environmental Defense Fund, Austin, TX, August 16, 1996.
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¹⁹ Farhar, B.C. and A.H. Houston. September 1996. Willingness to Pay for Electricity from Renewable Energy. NREL/TP-461-20813, Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 23 pp.
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