Americans’ perceived and actual understanding of energy

By Brian Southwell, Joseph Murphy, Jan E DeWaters, Patricia LeBaron

To address the lack of information about American’s perceived and actual knowledge related to energy, RTI researchers measured three concepts: perceived understanding of energy, demonstrated energy knowledge, and the ability to interpret an energy bill. Results suggest that public understanding of energy is multifaceted, and perceived understanding is not directly equivalent to actual understanding in many cases. Results of this survey provide insight into individual and household energy consumption behavior, which has implications for future policy and intervention.

Bibliography

Southwell, B., Murphy, J., DeWaters, J. E., & LeBaron, P. (2012). Americans’ perceived and actual understanding of energy. (RTI Press Publication No. RR-0018-1208). Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI Press. https://doi.org/10.3768/rtipress.2012.rr.0018.1208

© 2019 RTI International. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Authors

Brian Southwell — Brian Southwell, PhD, directs the Science in the Public Sphere program in the Center for Communication Science at RTI International. His large-scale evaluation work has spanned behaviors and audiences, including cancer prevention and screening promotion efforts, national campaigns to discourage drug and tobacco use, efforts to bolster television news coverage of science, and various state-level campaigns. He also has studied public understanding of energy and related topics. Dr. Southwell holds faculty appointments at Duke University (through Duke’s Energy Initiative) and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and also hosts the public radio show "The Measure of Everyday Life" on WNCU.

Joseph Murphy — Joseph J. Murphy, MA, is a senior survey methodologist in RTI’s Center for Survey Methodology. His research focuses on the development and application of new technologies and modes of communication to improve the survey research process.

Jan E DeWaters — Jan E. DeWaters, PhD, is an instructor for the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.

Patricia LeBaron — Patricia A. LeBaron, MA, is a survey methodologist at RTI International with extensive experience in survey methodology and operations.

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