Consumer Power: How the public thinks lower-carbon behaviour could be made mainstream

8/14/2019 Consumer Power: How the public thinks lower-carbon behaviour could be made mainstream

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How the public thinkslower-carbon behaviour

could be made mainstream

InstituteforPublicPolicyResearchChallengingideas Changingpolicy

ConsumerPower

RegPlattandSimonRetallack

September2009


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ippr| ConsumerPower: Howthepublicthinkslower-carbonbehaviourcouldbemademainstream2

TheInstituteforPublicPolicyResearch(ippr)istheUKsleadingprogressivethinktank,producing

cutting-edgeresearchandinnovativepolicyideasforajust,democraticandsustainableworld.

Since1988,wehavebeenattheforefrontofprogressivedebateandpolicymakingintheUK.Throughourindependentresearchandanalysiswedefinenewagendasforchangeandprovidepractical

solutionstochallengesacrossthefullrangeofpublicpolicyissues.

WithofficesinbothLondonandNewcastle,weensureouroutlookisasbroad-basedaspossible,

whileourGlobalChangeprogrammeextendsourpartnershipsandinfluencebeyondtheUK,givingus

atrulyworld-classreputationforhighqualityresearch.

ippr,30-32SouthamptonStreet,LondonWC2E7RA.Tel:+44(0)2074706100E:[email protected]

www.ippr.org.RegisteredCharityNo.800065

ThispaperwasfirstpublishedinSeptember2009.ippr2009

Aboutippr

Acknowledgements

Wewouldliketothankthefundersofthisprojectformakingitpossible:Coca-Cola,EnergySavingTrust,JMGFoundation,PilkingtonEnergyEfficiencyTrustandtheSustainableConsumptionInstitute.

WewouldalsoliketoexpressourthankstoPatDadeandCulturalDynamicsfordonatingtheir

servicesintheuseoftheValuesModesmethodologyforrecruitingparticipantstothedeliberative

workshops,aswellastoAndrewLongandTenfordonatingtheirtimeandthatoftheirHomeEnergy

Advisorteam,whichcarriedout10homevisitsforipprtoobservetodrawlessonsforthisproject.

WeareverygratefultoDanfossRandallLtd,InvensysControlsEurope,SiemensHeatingControlsand

SolarCenturyfordonatingtheirproductsforuseinthedeliberativeworkshops.Wearealsodeeply

indebtedtothefollowingpeoplefortheirinvaluableintellectualinputduringthecourseofthe

project:PatDade,GregRowland,GillEreaut,SolitaireTownsend,BrianSamuel,AndrewLong,Fanny

Calder,ChrisPowell,JonCracknell,JimPotterandMatthewLockwood.Lastly,specialthanksto

BrookeFlanaganforherworkingettingthisprojectupandrunning,aswellastoRuthSheldon,NaomiJonesandNaomiPollardforalltheircontributionstothequalitativeresearchaspectsofthe

project.

Abouttheauthors

RegPlattisaResearcherinipprsCitizens,SocietyandEconomyprogramme,withexpertisein

qualitativeresearchmethodsandaspecialistinterestinclimatechange.SimonRetallackisAssociate

DirectorandHeadofClimateChangeatippr.Hehasledipprsresearchonbehaviourchangeand

climatepolicy.


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Executivesummary............................................................................................................. 4

1.Introduction................................................................................................................. 10

Aimsandobjectives ..................................................................................................... 10Whichtargetaudience? ............................................................................................... 10

Whichbehaviours?....................................................................................................... 12

Researchmethodology................................................................................................. 14

2.Perceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviour ................................... 16

Climatefatigue ............................................................................................................. 16

Uncertaintyaboutthescience ..................................................................................... 16

Cynicismtowardsgovernmentandcompanies ............................................................ 16

Confusionaboutthecausesofclimatechange........................................................... 17

Confusionaboutsolutions ........................................................................................... 17

Concernsabouteffectiveness........................................................................................17

Resentmentaboutfeelingguilty................................................................................. 18

Negativeperceptionsofenvironmentally-friendlypeople ......................................... 18

Costasabarrier............................................................................................................ 19

Costasamotivator....................................................................................................... 19

Awarenessofclimatechange....................................................................................... 20

Doingyourbitandadislikeofwaste ........................................................................ 20

Theimpactofparenthood ........................................................................................... 21

3.Perceptionsofspecificlower-carbonchoices............................................................ 22

Energymonitors ........................................................................................................... 22

Heatingcontrols........................................................................................................... 24

Solarpanels .................................................................................................................. 25Energy-efficientvehicles.............................................................................................. 27

UKholidays .................................................................................................................. 30

Holidaytravelbytrain .................................................................................................. 32

Homeenergyassessments ........................................................................................... 33

4.Conclusionsandrecommendations ........................................................................... 36

Guidanceforclimate-changecommunications ........................................................... 36

Proposalsforpromotingspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices ............................. 40

Finalthoughts.............................................................................................................. 45

References........................................................................................................................ 46

Appendix:TheNowPeople ............................................................................................. 47

Contents


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ChangingthepublicsuseofenergyathomeandonthemoveiscriticalforreducingtheUKsoverall

emissionscontributingtoclimatechange.However,beyondtheenvironmentallyinclined,thereisa

verysubstantialgroupofpeoplewhoaredoingverylittleinresponsetocommunicationsandpoliciesdesignedtopromotebehavioursandchoicesthatwillreduceemissions.Thisreportpresentsthe

findingsofaninvestigationintowhythishasbeenthecase,andintohowbehaviourthatproduces

feweremissionswhichwerefertoaslower-carbonbehaviourcanbestimulatedamongsome

membersofthisgroup.

Targetaudience

Thepeoplewehavetargetedinourresearchandwhoweurgeotherstotargetwith

communications,productdevelopmentandpoliciesarecalledtheNowPeople.TheNowPeople

formasubgroupintheValuesModessegmentationmodel,whichcategorisespeopleaccordingto

theirdifferentpsychologicalmotivations,drawingonAbrahamMaslowstheoryofneeds.

NowPeopleseekpsychologicalrewardsinstatus,fashion,success,andtheesteemandrecognitionofothers.Theytendtohaveahighlevelofmotivationtoconsume,andtheirprominentpositionwithin

socialcirclesmakesthemadriveroffashionsandtrends,meaningthattheyareaparticularlypowerful

subsectionofthepopulationwhenitcomestodeterminingconsumption-relatedbehaviours.Forthis

reason,theyareoftenthetargetofmarketingcampaigns.

However,whenitcomestoclimatechange,relatedcommunications,productsandpolicieshavenot

beendesignedwithNowPeopleinmind,andsohavefailedtoprovidethemwiththecluesor

opportunitiestosatisfytheirneeds,leavingthemunengagedorswitchedofffromtheissues.This

hasactedasabrakeontheadoptionoflower-carbonbehaviouracrosssociety.

Aimsandmethods

ipprconductedsixdeliberativeworkshopswithNowPeopleinLondon,YorkandjustoutsideBristol,inlate2008andearly2009,tofindoutwhatmightmotivatethisgrouptoact.Intheseworkshops,

wegaugedperceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviouringeneral,aswellasinrelation

tosixspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices:

Energymonitors

Heatingcontrols

Solarpanels

Energy-efficientvehicles

UKholidays

Holidaytravelbytrain.However,weaimedtoexploreparticipantsattitudestolower-carbonlifestyleoptionswithout

imposinganenvironmentalframeworkonthem.Assuch,theworkshopsfocusedonthethemeof

shoppingratherthanclimatechangeandcarbon.Thisenabledustoexplorethemoregeneral

processesthatparticipantsadoptwhenmakingconsumerdecisions,ratherthanfocusingsolelyon

whytheydonotchoosethelower-carbonoption.Thetopicofclimatechangewasnotintroducedas

athemefordiscussionuntiltheveryendofeachevent.

Theworkshopfindingswerecomplementedbyobservationsofhomeenergyassessmentsinthe

homesof10NowPeople,followedbyin-depthinterviewstogaugetheirreactionstoenergyadvice

tailoredtotheirownhomes.

Webelievethatthefindings,whichwesummarisebelow,willbeofvaluetoanyoneinterestedindesigningcommunications,products,servicesandpoliciesaimedatincreasingtheuptakeoflower-

carbonbehaviourfromenergyutilitiestocarmanufacturers,trainoperatorsandtheUKtourist

trade,aswellasgovernmentandenvironmentalcampaigners.

Executivesummary


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Perceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviour

Inhibitingattitudes

Manyparticipantsexpressedawearinessandfatigueaboutthesubjectofclimatechange.Manyof

theworkshopsbecamenotablylessanimatedfollowingtheintroductionofclimatechangeasatopic

fordiscussion.Somefoundtheissueveryboring.Othersdismisseditasfaddyandtrendy.

Therewasageneralacceptancethatclimatechangeishappening,andthatitisprobablydueatleast

inparttohumans,butthathumansareunlikelytobewhollyresponsible.Someconfusedclimate

changewithozonelayerdepletion,andlinkedclimatechangetorecycling,remarkingthatbyrecycling

theythoughttheywerealreadydoingtheirbitanddidnotnecessarilyfeeltheyhadtodoanymore.

TherewasageneralcynicismaboutthemotivationsoftheGovernmentinpushingforactionon

climatechange.SeveralparticipantssuggestedthattheGovernmentcouldbeusingtheissueasa

meansofincreasingtaxation.Othershighlightedinconsistenciesandhypocrisyonthepartof

governmentandcorporations,suchasthedecisiontograntpermissionforthebuildingofthethird

runwayatHeathrow.

Manydiscussionsalsocentredontheineffectivenessofadoptingsmalllower-carbonbehaviourswhen

otherswerestillemittingelsewhere.Thiswasaverycommonperception.Themostregularfree-riders

referredtowereothercountries,companies,andotherpeoplewhowonteverchange.

Manyoftheparticipantsfeltthatpreviousrequestsforthemtodomorefortheenvironment,orfor

climatechange,hadmadethemfeelguiltyabouttheirlifestyles,andsomewereresentfulofthis.

Manyalsosawpeoplewhoengageinenvironmentally-friendlybehavioursasself-righteousand

smug.

Anoverridingperceptionwasthatwhenmakingapurchase,costisamoreimportantconsideration

thanenvironmentalimpact.Participantssaidthattherecessionhadmadecostincreasinglyimportant,

pushingenvironmentalpurchasesfurtherintosecondplace.

Encouragingattitudes

Thosewhohadalreadymadeenergy-reducingchangeshaddonesobecauseofcostandthehigh

pricesofbills.Somewerekeentofindanywaypossibleofsavingmoney,referringtotherecession

andhighfuelbillsasmajormotivators.Othersalsoexpressedadesireforgreatercontroland

autonomywithregardstotheirenergysupply,againstabackdropofhighenergyprices.

Itisworthnotingthatduringdiscussionsaboutcostsavingsthatmightbeachievedbyadopting

lower-carbonbehaviours,participantsoftensawthebenefitsastheabilitytospendthemoneysaved

onpotentiallycarbon-intensivebehaviours.

Intermsofclimatechangeitself,participantshadagoodawarenessoftheissueanditsdifferent

facets,includingmeltingicecaps,polarbearsandcarbonfootprints.Therewerealsofrequent

referencestochangestoweatherpatternsintheUK.Somereferredtotheimportanceofeveryonedoingtheirbitfortheenvironment,andhowdoingthisgaveyouapositivefeeling.Several

participantsalsoexpressedastrongdislikeofwasteandpollutioningeneral.

Beingaparentappearedtoplayalargepartinparticipantsawarenessofclimatechangeandthe

extenttowhichtheyengagedinlower-carbonbehaviours.Thiswasalsoanimportantfactorinhow

theparticipantsthoughtaboutthefutureandtheconsequencesofactionstakentoday.

Perceptionsofspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices

Energymonitors

Asignificantminorityoftheparticipantswerenotinterestedintheideaofanenergymonitor(a

devicethatshowshowmuchelectricityisbeingusedinthehomeatanygivenmoment)becausethey

believeditwouldbeannoyingandwouldstopthemrelaxing.However,mostoftheparticipants

receivedtheideapositivelybecauseofthemoneytheysawthatitcouldsavethem,oftenrelatedto

thecreditcrunchorhighenergyprices.


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Ideasformarketingtheenergymonitorincludedemphasisingthatitwaslowcostandthatitcould

easilysaveyoumoney.Thebenefittotheenvironmentwasmentioned,butonlyasaminorpoint.One

groupattemptedtoincreasetheappealofsavingmoneybyemphasisingthepleasurethatcouldbe

gainedbyspendingthismoneyelsewhere.Otherssuggestedusingordinarypeoplewhohappentobe

famous,suchasthetelevisionpresentersTessDalyandVernonKay,togainmainstreamappealforthe

product.

Heatingcontrols

Theoverridingreactiontothisproductwasgeneralconfusionaboutwhatitdid.Thecontrolsoffer

additionalfunctionalitytowhatisprovidedbyexistingdomesticheatingcontrolsbutparticipantsdid

notseemanybenefitstothis.Theresultantconfusiontranslatedintoagenerallackofinterestinthe

productandofdesiretopurchaseone.Wheretheparticipantswerepositiveabouttheproduct,itwas

initsabilitytosavethemmoney,aswellasbeingeasytoinstall,andmodern.

Marketingsuggestionsfocusedonthefinancialbenefitsoftheproduct,emphasisingthewaythat

heatinginthehomewasdirectlylinkedtospendingmoney.Onegroupachievedthisbydepictinga

housewithnoheatingcontrols,withpoundsignsescapingfromthepropertylikeheat,accompanied

bythesloganYourcostscontrollingyou??Keepcontrolofyourcosts!!.Anotherusedacelebrity

couple,LouiseandJamieRedknapp,toselltheheatingcontrols,drawingonthecouplesimageas

beingdowntoearthandfamilyoriented.

Solarpanels

Someparticipantsfeltthatdomesticsolarpanelswereunattractive,andquestionedwhethertherewas

enoughsunshineintheUKforthemtobeabletoworkwell.However,themaindisincentivewasthe

largeupfrontcost.However,participantswerepositiveaboutthepurchaseingeneral,andmany

wouldhavebeeninterestedinbuyingtheproducthaditcostless.Severalsuggestedwaysinwhich

theGovernmentcouldregulatetomakesolarpanelsmoreaccessible.Suggestionsincludedputting

panelsonallnewbuildings,offering0percentloans,andprovidingdiscountedstampdutyforhomes

withpanelsinstalled.

Indiscussionsaboutmarketingtheproduct,environmentalimpactwascitedasasecondaryorminor

benefit.Moreprominentreasonsforbuyingtheproductincludedbeingabletosavemoney,being

abletoinsulateoneselffromfluctuatingenergyprices,andusingthepanelasaninvestmenttoadd

valuetoonesproperty.Onegroupputastrongemphasisonnormalisingtheproduct,usinganimage

ofanordinaryrowofhouseswithsolarpanelsbeingfittedtomakeitseemaccessibletoaverage

households,andnotjustthepreserveoftherich.

Activitiestoreduceemissionsfromdomesticenergyusewerealsodiscussedaspartofthe10home

energyassessmentsweobservedandthein-depthinterviewsweconducted(seePerceptionsofhome

energyassessments,p.7).


Concernsabouttheenvironmentalimpactofcarshadnotplayedasignificantroleinanyofthe

participantspreviouspurchasingdecisions.Wherethisconsiderationhadplayedapartintheir

decision,thiswassecondarytoreducedrunningcostsduetoincreasedfuelefficiencyorlowerroad

taxforcars(especiallycompanyones)withhighemissions.Mostplacedastrongemphasisongood

valueformoney,aswellasonqualityandreliability.Forparents,safetywasparticularlysignificant.

Thecolourandaestheticofthecarswerealsoveryimportantfactors.

Inreactiontoinformationandimagesofdifferentmodelsofcar,SUVs(sportsutilityvehicles)stood

outashavingaparticularlynegativeimage.Theywereseenasimpracticalincitiesandunsafefor

otherroadusersandpedestrians,andtheirdriversoftendescribedasselfish.Meanwhile,ofthetwo

carswepresentedwithhighfuelefficiency,theHondaCivicwasbyfarthebestreceived,dueto

perceptionsthatHondawasareliablebrandandthatthelookofthecarwasmodernandstylish.Thecarsfuelefficiencywasalsoimportant,andtheenvironmentalbenefitthisofferedwas

welcomed,buttheseconsiderationsweresecondary.Incontrast,themajoritywereverynegative

abouttheSmartCar,largelyduetoitsaesthetics.Itwasdescribedasatraineronwheels,hideous,

ugly,adisabledcar,arollerskate,smugandself-righteous.


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UKholidays

Participantsoverwhelminglypreferredtotakeholidaysabroadthanathomeaboveall,becauseof

thelackofsunshineandamountofrainintheUK.Participantsconsideredhavinggood,hotweather

andaswimmingpooltobekeyingredientsforaholiday,anddidnotperceivethistypeofweatheras

guaranteedintheUK.AnotherinhibitingfactorwasthecostoftakingholidaysintheUKcomparedwiththecheapflightsavailabletogotocountrieswithlowerlivingcosts.

Veryfewdiscussionssuggestedthatparticipantscouldbepersuadedtostoptakingholidaysabroad.

However,participantswerepositiveabouttakingtripsintheUKifthesewereinadditiontorather

thaninsteadofaproperholiday.Manyspokepositivelyaboutdifferentpartsofthecountry,suchas

Cornwall.

Holidaytravelbytrain

Manyoftheparticipantssaidtheytendedtotakeholidaysabroad,oftentomediumandlong-haul

locations,whereflyingwasoftenperceivedtobetheonlytransportoptionavailable.Flyingwasalso

seenasaverycheaptraveloption.Severalcommentedthatbeingatanairportwasexciting.This

aspectwasseldomfrequentlymentionedinrelationtoothertransportoptions,exceptwiththe

Eurostartrainlink.

Travellingbytrainwasseentoinvolvelessbotherthanflyingandasmorerelaxing,althoughtravelling

aroundBritainbytrainwassaidtobeveryexpensiveandreachingplacesoutsideofmajortownsby

traindifficult.ExceptfortakingtheEurostartoParis,travellingtoEuropeandestinationsbytrainwas

notseenasanalternativetoflying.Somealsowantedtheflexibilityofferedbytravellingbycarto

theirholidaydestinationandhavingacaronceonholiday.

Perceptionsofhomeenergyassessments

Ourobservationof10NowPeoplereceivingahomeenergyassessmenthighlightedthevalueof

providingprofessional,independent,face-to-faceinformationrelatingtoenergyusethatis

individuallytailored,usingengaginggraphicsandthermalimagery,andassessorswhomakepeople

feelcomfortable.

However,wefoundthatNowPeoplewerereluctanttopay100200forhomeenergyassessments

themselves,andhadmixedviewsaboutcommissioningaconciergecompanytoarrangequotesfor

themforhomeimprovementwork.Commitmenttoundertakethemeasuresrecommendedalsocame

upagainstthebarriersdiscussedinthefirstthreeconsumerchoicesdiscussedabove,fromhigh

upfrontcoststouglyaesthetics.

Generalguidanceforclimate-changecommunications

Ourresearchhasidentified10keyaspectsofNowPeopleattitudesthatshouldbetakenintoaccount

whendesigningclimate-changecommunications,asfollows:

1.Dontfocusonclimatechange ThestartingpointofanycommunicationseffortstoencourageNowPeopletoadoptlower-carbonbehavioursshouldbearecognitionthatalackofawarenessof

climatechangeisnottheproblem.MostNowPeopleareaware,butthatawarenessissimplynot

motivatingenough.Othermotivationsneedtobedrawnon.Ourresearchsuggeststhiscanbe

achievedinanumberofways.

2.Focusonsavingmoneynow Theresearchclearlysuggeststhatcommunicationsthatemphasise

themoney-savingpotentialofadoptinglower-carbonbehaviourswillbemuchmoreeffectivewith

NowPeoplethanurgingthemtotakeactiononthebasisthatitwillpreventclimatechange

particularlyinthepresenteconomicclimate.Butsavingmoneyitselfcouldbemademoreappealing

forexample,byemphasisingthepleasurablethingsthatthemoneysavedcanbespenton.

3.Preventthereboundeffect Takecaretopreventareboundeffectinwhichpeoplespendthe

moneytheyhavesavedonother,potentiallyhigh-carbon,purchases,suchasflying.Topreventthis

effect,itmaybenecessarytoensurethatcommunicationsrefertotheneedtoreducecarbon

pollutionratherthanemissionsorusehumourtosatirisehigh-carbonbehaviours,whilemaking

lower-carbonchoicesdesirable(theseideasareexplainedinpoints46below).


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4.Talkaboutcarbonpollution,notC02 emissions Thechoiceoflanguageisimportant.Referringto

(dirty)pollutionislikelytohavemoreimpactthanreferringto(invisible)emissions.Similarly,

carbon,widelyperceivedasblackanddirty,mayalsobemoreeffectiveterminologytousethan

invisiblecarbondioxide.

5.Satirisehigh-carbonbehaviours NowPeoplecouldbediscouragedfromcontinuingparticularhigh-carbonbehavioursthroughhumourandtheuseofgentlemockery,sarcasmandsatire

associatinghigher-carbonchoiceswithunattractivepersonalities.Thiscanhelpmakethesechoices

undesirableandmakeavailablearangeofalternative(lower-carbon)behavioursfromwhichNow

Peoplecanchooseforthemselves,leavingthemwiththesensethattheystillhaveroomforself-

expression,whichtheyprize.Comedyprogrammescanbeparticularlyinfluentialinthisregard.Now

Peoplesmaindriveistolookcooltoothers,andtheytendtonoteanythingthatdetractsfromtheir

imageandactuponitquickly,tomaintainorchangetheperceptionsofothers.

6.MakeitdesirableAnotherwaytoovercomethereboundeffectisthroughthecontinuousre-

creationofsustainableproductsandbehavioursintoobjectsofdesiretheverythingthatturned

thepollutingcarintosomethingthatNowPeoplehadtohave.Inthesedifficulteconomictimes,

thesecouldperhapsbedepictedasthetechnologiesandbehavioursoffashionableausterity.

7.Rememberthatbeingincontrolmatters NowPeopleareexperiencinganxietyabouthighand

fluctuatingenergyprices(includingtheroleofenergycompanieswithinthissituation),andinsecurity

andadesireforcontrol,duetoturbulencewithintheeconomyandfinancialsystem.Thisoffersthe

potentialforeffectivecommunicationsonlower-carbonbehaviours.NowPeoplemayrespondwellto

communicationsemphasisinghowenergy-savingmeasurescanoffercontroloverenergycostsand

independencefromenergycompanies.

8.Makeitfun Communicationsthatarefunandhumorousarefarmorelikelytocaptureand

sustaintheattentionofNowPeoplethancommunicationsthatareoverlyserious.

9.AvoidguiltandtheenvironmentallabelCommunicationsthatpromotefeelingsofguiltshould

beavoided,asthesedriveNowPeopletodisengage.CommunicationsshouldavoidsayingYouarenotdoingenoughorYouarenottakingresponsibility,butshouldacknowledgeandpraisethe

actionsthatNowPeoplearealreadyundertaking,andbuildonthose.AsNowPeopletendtodescribe

peoplewhoengageinlower-carbonbehaviourasbeingsmuganddifferenttothem,communications

mustalsopromotelower-carbonbehavioursasbeingnormalforNowPeople,whilestilloffering

themsomethingatwhichtheycanexcel.

10.Usemessengersthatkeepitreal Participantsputaclearemphasisonusingcelebritieswho

NowPeopletrustandassociatewithaspeers,ratherthanhigher-rankingcelebrities,suchaspopor

filmstars.ThissupportsthenotionofneedingtonormalisebehavioursforNowPeople.Itisalso

notablethatnoneoftheparticipantssuggestedenvironmentalorganisationsselllower-carbon

products.Thebrandimageofthesegroupsisnot,norshouldbe,forNowPeopleaspurveyorsof

objectsofdesire:thisisasteptoofarforthem.

Proposalsforencouragingspecificlower-carbonbehaviours

Thecommunicationsandpoliciesneededtoincreasetheuptakeofspecificlower-carbonbehavioursby

NowPeopleshouldsupporteachother.Itiscriticalthatgovernmentensuresconsistencybetweenthe

messagesandpoliciesthatitadopts.Duetothemistrustofgovernmentthatexists,changesalsoneed

tobeintroducedtransparently,andanyrevenuesraisedfromtaxinghigh-carbonactivitiesshouldbe

usedtomakelower-carbonoptionscheaper.NowPeoplewillinstinctivelyrejectstealthtaxes.Policy

frameworksarealsoneededtoensureinnovationinthedesignoflower-carbonproductsandservices

toattractNowPeople,givenhow,alltoofrequently,aestheticsactasabarriertoadoption.

Energymonitors

Assmartmeterswhichremotelyrecordcustomerselectricityuseandletthemknowhowmuchtheyareusing,asenergymonitorsdoarerolledoutnationwide,governmentshouldsetminimum

standardstoensurethatthemeterincorporatesapermanent,visiblein-homedisplaydesignedto


9/47


engageusers,andasupportpackagepreparinghouseholdersforthemetersarrivalandenabling

themtoactonitsfeedback.Communicationsshouldemphasisethatthesmartmeterisamodern

gadgetthatcansavetheusermoney,providemorecontrol(givenfluctuatingenergybills)andoffer

enjoyment,byenablingtheusertospendthemoneytheysaveonsomethingpleasurable.

Heatingcontrols

Communicationsaboutheatingcontrolsneedtoconveyclearlywhattheydoandthemarked

differencesincontrol,financialgainandcomforttheyoffer.Theyshouldalsoportraythisitemasthe

newest,best,latest,mostmodernpieceofkit.Governmentandmanufacturersshouldalsoengagewith

installerstoensurethattheyareawareofheatingcontrolsandthemoney-savingbenefitstheyoffer.

Solarpanels

Toovercomeresistancetohighupfrontcosts,furtherfinancialassistancewillbeneeded,suchasmore

upfrontsubsidies,discountsonstampduty,low-orzero-interestloans,oron-billrepayment.Solar

panelsalsoneedtobemademorevisible,toincreaseawarenessandacceptability.Henceallnew

housesshouldhavethemfitted,withdemonstrationhomeswithpanelsinstalledineachlocality.

Communicationsneedtoemphasisestronglythecontrolandself-sufficiencythatpanelscanoffer.

TheymustalsodispeldoubtsthatpanelsdonotworkintheUK,positioningthemasattractive

moderngadgetsthatarenormalforNowPeople,whilehelpingmakeNowPeoplelookspecial.


Governmentshouldcontinuetoincreasetaxforcarswithhigheremissionsandshoulddeliveronits

commitmenttoprovidesubsidiesforthemostfuel-efficientcars.Regulationandincentivesarealso

neededtoensurethattrustedbrandsincorporatelower-carbontechnologyintotheirmodelsand

designthemtobeaestheticallyattractive.Communicationsshouldhighlightthemodern

technologiesthatthesecarsinclude,andtheirabilitytocontrolfuelbills,andportraythemasspecial

butnormal,tocaterforNowPeoplesconstantanxietyaboutwantingtobeleadingedgebutnot

tooleadingedgecool,butnotsocoolthattheyarelaughedat.

UKholidays

AsustainedcampaignisneededtoencouragelocalbreaksandholidaysintheUKasafunwayof

gettingawayfromwork.UKdestinationsneedtoofferbetterlevelsofcomfort,atreasonableprices,

andtopositionthemselvesasmodernholidayoptions.Apackageofincentivesshouldbeprovidedto

helpimprovethefacilitiesoffered,tobringanewgenerationoffamiliesbacktoplacesthathave

becomeoldfashioned.Policyshouldalsofocusonincreasingthecostofairtravel,generating

revenuestoimprovethealternatives,whilecommunicationscouldusehumourtogentlymockpeople

whotaketoomanyflights.

Holidaytravelbytrain

Governmentandtrainoperatorsneedtofindwaysofreducingthecostoftraintravelsothatit

becomesattractivelypricedcomparedwithcartravelandflying.Trainoperatorsshoulddomoretocommunicatethecheaperratesthatarealreadyavailableifticketsarebookedinadvanceandoffer

morediscounts.Ensuringthatservicesareavailableattimeswhenpeoplewanttotravelonbreaksis

alsovital,requiringarethinkofmaintenanceandupgradingschedules.

Communicationscouldhelpbyplayingupthehassleandstressofflyingwhilecreatingabuzzabout

traintravelandmainlinestations.Thiswillrequireastrategytoupgradeexistingfacilities,with

governmentsupportifnecessary.

Finalthoughts

Ultimately,ourresearchsuggeststhatsuccesswilllieinourcollectiveabilitytopersuademainstream

consumersthatinadoptinglower-carbonlifestylestheycansavemoneyandhavefun,theycanhave

controlinachaoticworld,theycandotherightthingandlookgoodwithoutbeinganenvironmentalist,andtheycanstillbethemselves.Ifwecanachievethat,whileputtingthepoliciesin

placetoensurethatlower-carbonoptionsareaffordable,attractiveandvisible,wewillhavecomea

longwaytowardsmobilisingthepowerofconsumersinthebattleagainstclimatechange.


10/47


IntheUK,theenergythatindividualsuseintheirhomesandforpersonaltransportisresponsiblefor

44percentofthecountryscarbondioxide(CO2)emissions.Almost60percentoftheemissionsby

anaverageUKcitizencomefromusingenergyinthehome,while40percentcomesfromtransport,includingflying(Retallacketal2007).Changingthepublicsdomesticuseofenergyandtransport

choicesisthereforecriticalforreducingthecountrysoverallcontributiontoclimatechange.

Akeychallengeisthatasignificantproportionofthepopulation,whileacceptingthatclimatechange

ishappeningandthathumansarecontributingtoit,hasnotshownawillingnesstomakebehavioural

change(ibid).Beyondthosewhotakeabove-averageinterestinandactiononenvironmentalissues

theenvironmentallyinclined,andearlyadoptersoflower-carbonbehaviours,thereisavery

substantialgroupofpeoplewhobyandlargehaveeithernotbeenthetargetofeffortstochange,or

havenotrespondedtoclimate-changecommunicationsandpolicies.

Thisreportpresentsthefindingsofaninvestigationintohowlower-carbonbehaviourcanbe

stimulatedamongsomeofthisgroup.HavingengagedwithconsumersfromdifferentpartsoftheUK

throughdeliberativeworkshops,wehavedevelopedpracticalrecommendationsonhowtoincentivise

individualsfromthisgrouptoreducetheircontributiontoclimatechange,basedonunderstanding

theirbarrierstoactionandthemosteffectivewayswithwhichtoovercomethem.

Aimsandobjectives

ThefindingsofthisreportarebasedonipprsConsumerPowerprojectapieceofworkdesignedto

identifythecommunicationsapproachesandpoliciesneededtofacilitateachangeinbehaviour

amongmainstreamconsumersthosewhohaveyettomakesignificantchangestoreducetheir

carbonfootprint.

Theaimoftheprojectwastodevelopapracticalsetofanswersthatcouldbeusedbyarangeof

differentcompanies,fromenergyutilitiestocarmanufacturers,trainoperatorsandtheUKtourist

trade,aswellasbygovernment,theagenciesthatitfunds(suchastheEnergySavingTrust),and

environmentalnon-governmentalorganisations.

Tofulfiltheprojectsaims,severalsub-questionswereformulated.Theseincluded:

Howdopeoplenotveryinterestedinormotivatedbyenvironmentalissues(thenon-environmentally-inclined)perceiveclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviouringeneral?

Whatdoesthismeanforcommunicationsandpoliciesaimingtoincreasetheuptakeoflower-carbonbehaviouringeneral?

Whatfactorsinfluencenon-environmentally-inclinedpeoplesperceptionsofspecificlower-carbonbehaviours?

Howcanthesefactorsinhibitorencouragetheuptakeofspecificlower-carbonbehaviours?

Thetargetaudience

Thehistoryofcommercialmarketingshowsthatknowingandsegmentingonesaudiencesisapre-

conditionofsuccess.Asdifferentgroupsofpeoplehavedifferentcapacitiesandmotivations,andface

differentbarriers,theyneedtobetargeteddifferently,usingmessages,messengers,communications

channelsandpoliciesthatareappropriateforthem.Hence,understandingthedifferencesbetween

subgroupsofthepopulationisessential.Inparticular,audiencesneedtobeknownsufficientlywellto

understandwhatwillmotivatethemtomakechanges,sothatinterventionscanbetargeted

appropriately.

Forthisreason,weidentified,engagedwithandsoughttounderstandaspecificsegmentofthe

populationusingapsychographicsegmentationtoolknownastheValuesModesmodel.

TheValuesModesmodel,developedbyCulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtd,drawson

Maslowstheoryofpsychologicalneeds,andcansegmentanysampleofthepopulationintothree

1.Introduction


11/47


broadmotivationalgroupsand12further,morefinelytuned,groups.Thesegmentationisbasedon

morethan35yearsresearchoftheBritishpopulationthroughCulturalDyamicsBritishValuesSurvey.

Thelatestroundofnationalresearchgatheredresponsestomorethan1,000questionsfrom10,000

nationallyrepresentativeadultsagedbetween15and80.

Thissegmentationenablesanyoneseekingtochangebehaviourstoimprovethewaythatapproachesarecraftedonthebasisofapsychologicalunderstandingofwhatmotivatesdifferentpeopleto

behaveindifferentways.Thiscomplementsourunderstandingofthepracticalissuesandbarriersthat

influencepeople.Usersofthisapproachhaveincludedlargecorporationsandpublicinstitutions,from

UnileverandShelltotheBBCandpoliticalparties,inmorethan40countries.

TheValuesModesmodeldividesthepopulationmostbroadlyinto:

Pioneers(40percentoftheUKpopulation).Theyhaveinnerdirectedneeds:theyseekanethicalbasisforlife,self-explorationanddiscovery,theyaresocietysnaturalactivists,andthey

valuequalityandaestheticsmorethanstatus.

Prospectors (30percentoftheUKpopulation).Theyhaveesteemorouterdirectedneeds:

theylivefortoday,andseekpsychologicalrewardsinstatus,fashion,successandrecognitionbyothers.Theyunderpinconsumersociety.

Settlers (30percentoftheUKpopulation).Theyhavesustenance-drivenneeds:theyneedtoprotectwhattheyhave,dislikethreatstoidentity,belonging,securityorsafety,tendtohavea

strongcomfortfocusontheirhomes,andprioritisefinancialsecurityandspendtheirmoney

morecautiously.

PeoplewhohaveworkedforenvironmentalorganisationshavetraditionallytendedtobePioneers,

andconsequentlyhaveoftenusedthelanguageandapproachofPioneersinreachingouttothe

public,whichisunlikelytobeeffectiveforthetwo-thirdsofthepopulationwhoarenotPioneers.

Agenciesthathaveusedsocioeconomicandlifestylesegmentationmodelshavetendedtotargeta

similargroupofpeople:thosewhosesocioeconomicsituationmakesthemenvironmentallyinclinedor

morelikelytobeearlyadoptersoflower-carbonbehaviours(asisthecasewiththeEnergySaving

Trustscampaigns).

WhyProspectorsandNowPeople?

GovernmentandothershavenotconsideredtheProspectorstobeearlyadopters:theyhaveoften

beenseenaspartoftheproblemratherthanthesolution,andsohavelargelybeenignored.We

adoptedanewapproachbyattemptingtoshiftthefocusbeyondtheenvironmentallyinclined,sowe

chosetheProspectorsasthetargetsegmentofthepopulation.

TheProspectorsaredividedintofourfurthersubsections,oneofwhichistheNowPeople(See

Appendix1).ThemottoforthesepeoplecouldbeWewanttheworld,andwewantitnow!Now

Peoplehaveahungerforlife,andwanttodevourit.Lifeisapartytobeenjoyed,andtheywantto

beatthecentreofit.Theyhavealargeneedfortheapprovalofothers,andsohavegreatempatheticsocialskills.Theyattractotherstothem.Theylookfortheflashandintensityinsituations.

Becauseoftheirhighlevelofmotivationtoconsume,andtheirprominentpositionwithinsocial

circles,NowPeoplearedriversoffashionsandtrends,meaningthattheyareaparticularlypowerful

subsectionofthepopulationwhenitcomestodeterminingconsumption-relatedbehaviours.Forthis

reasontheyareoftenthetargetofcompaniesmarketingcampaigns.

TheselectionoftheNowPeopleasatargetforunderstandinginthisreportisbasedinparticularon

thecriticalpositiontheyoccupyoninnovationcurvesintheadoptionofnewideasandbehaviours.

ThePioneershavebeenfoundtobeclassicinnovatorsinthecreationandadoptionofnewideasand

behaviours.However,withouttheNowPeoplesenthusiasticuptakeofthosenewideasand

behaviours,theotherthreeProspectorgroups(and,subsequently,theSettlers)areunlikelytomimicthenewbehaviours.

Thisdynamicofchangehasbeenidentifiedasoneofthereasonsforthelackofwide-scalebehaviour

changeinrelationtoenvironmentalissuesintheUK.Inshort,thePioneershavediscoveredand


12/47


adoptedattitudesandbehavioursthatleadthemtobeseenasmoreenvironmentally-friendlythan

othergroups,buttheProspectorshavenotadoptedthesebehaviourstonearlythesameextent,and

thushaveactedasabrakeonwidespreadchangesinlifestyles.

Asthisreportshows,onereasonforthisisthattheemotionaltriggersactivatedbycurrentclimate-

changecommunicationsandcampaignsarenotthosemostvaluedbytheProspectors.Thisreportprobesanddiscoverstheemotionsthatthesecommunicationsdosucceedintriggeringprimarily

negativeonesandofferssomeinsightsaboutthetypeoftriggersthatareneededinfuture

communications,tochangethebehavioursofthiscrucialgroup.

Readersofthisreportshouldkeepinmindoneoftheoldestandmostusedformulasinanalysingand

creatinggreatcommunicationstheAIDAformula.ThefourlettersstandforAttention,Interest,

Desire,Action.Eachofthesefactorshelpscommunicatorsunderstandtherootofanyongoingissue

inordertoframethebestwayforward.

Intheresearch,NowPeopleseemtobesayingthatinrelationtoclimatechange,theyhavetwoof

thesefactors:attentionandinterest.Butthedesireelementofcurrentcommunicationsand

alternativebehavioursiseithermissing,orisnotsufficientlymotivatingtotakethemontoaction.

Thismeansthatsimplyprovidingmorefactsandpolicieswillnotbethekeytobehaviourchange.

Atpresent,communications,policiesandbehaviouraloffersfailtoprovideNowPeoplewiththe

necessarycluesoropportunitiestobeabletosatisfytheirneedsfortheesteemofothers,throughthe

identifying,acquiringanddisplayingsymbolsofvalue.Itisthispurposethatdrivestheirlivesand

whensatisfied,itgivesthempleasure.So,NowPeoplearecurrentlyperformingbehavioursthatthey

knowarecausingenvironmentalharm,buttheyarenotsufficientlymovedbythepositioningof

currentalternativestochangethisbehavioureventhoughtheirlackofactioncausesanxiety.

Thisprojectisdesignedtounderstandwhatkindsofmethods,contexts,messengers,triggersand

channelswillcreatedesireand,ultimately,motivationtoaction,forthisgroupofpeople.Our

approachwastoworkwiththevaluesthatthisgroupholds,andtofocusdirectlyonchangingtheir

behavioursinordertodelivertangiblereductionsingreenhousegasemissionsregardlessofthemotivationalbasisonwhichthosereductionsareachieved.Therehasbeenconsiderabledebateabout

thistypeofapproach(Crompton2008).Bychoosingitforthisproject,wedonotseektorejectother

approachesbasedonattemptingtoachieveafundamentalshiftinvaluesacrosssocietyawayfrom

consumerism.

Highlightedbehaviours

Inordertogeneratepracticalrecommendationsforcommunicationsandpoliciespromotingbehaviour

change,wefocusedonseveralspecificbehaviours,determinedbyconsideringanumberoffactors

(seeBox1.1onthenextpageformoredetails):

Impactcarbon-savingpotentialfrombehaviourchange

Appeallikelyinterest,visibilityandacceptabilitytothetargetgroup

Feasibilitycapacityofthetargetgrouptoadoptthebehaviour(financialcapability)

Frequencyhowoftenthebehaviourislikelytooccur(habitualvpurchasing).

Thisresultedintheselectionofthefollowingsixlower-carbonconsumerchoices:

Energymonitors

Heatingcontrols

Solarpanels


UKholidays

Holidaytravelbytrain.


13/47


Box1.1.Identifyingconsumerchoicestotest

Indeterminingwhichspecificcarbon-relatedconsumerchoicestotestattitudestowardsinthedeliberativeworkshops,we

consideredanumberoffactors.Theseincludedimpactintermsofcarbon-savingpotentialfrombehaviourchange,appeal

tothetargetgroup,feasibilityofthetargetgroupadoptingthebehaviourandfrequencyhowoftenthebehaviourislikely

tooccur.Inthetablesbelowweshowhowdifferentchoicesandbehaviourscompareinrelationtothesefourcriteria.

Inthehome

Behaviour Impact* Appeal Feasibility Frequency

Insulation(cavitywallandloft) H L H L

Solidwallinsulation H L L L

Condensingboilers/heatingcontrols H M M L

Woodpelletboilers H M L L

Solarwaterheating M M M L

GroundSourceHeatPump H L L L

Micro-wind H H L L

PVpanels H H L L

Glazing(A-C) M M M L

Moreefficientappliances L H H M

CompactFluorescentLightbulbs L L H M

Switchofflights/standby L L H H

Real-timedisplays/bye-byestandby L H H H

Onthemove

Behaviour Impact* Appeal Feasibility Frequency

Eco-driving M L H H

Purchasemoreefficientvehicle H M-H M L-M

Modalshift M L M H

Car-sharing M L H H

Noshorttrips(350kgCO2/year,M=100kgCO2/year-349kgCO2/year,L

=


14/47


Researchmethodology

ToinvestigatethecommunicationsapproachesandpoliciesthatwouldbeeffectiveforNowPeople,

weadoptedaqualitativeapproach.Deliberativeworkshopswereusedtoexploretheprocessesby

whichpeoplemakeconsumerchoices.Thisgeneratedevidenceoftheattitudesandbeliefsthat

underpinconsumerbehaviour,andthecontradictionsandcomplexitiesinherentinthem.Participantobservationsandin-depthinterviewsalsoprovidedevidenceofthesedecision-makingprocessesin

thecontextofpeopleseverydaylives.

Deliberativeworkshops

WeconductedsixdeliberativeworkshopsinordertoexplorethewaythatNowPeoplethinkabout

lower-carbonpurchases.Deliberativeworkshopsareheldoveralongerperiodoftimethantraditional

focusgroups,providinggreateropportunityforparticipantstoexpresstheirviewsfully,andfor

discussionanddebatewithinthegroup.Theworkshopsusedprojectivetechniquesandexercisesthat

allowedustoexplorehowparticipantsviewschangedwhenpresentedwithinformationandhow

viewsevolvedduringgroupdiscussions.

Theuseofdeliberativetechniquesenabledustoexplorethesharednormsthatinfluenceparticipants

consumerdecisions,includingtheprocessesbywhichthesenormsarenegotiatedandinterpreted.

Thisresearchstartedfromanawarenessthattraditionalenvironmentalcommunicationsapproaches

havenotbeeneffectivewithinthistargetaudience.Wethereforeaimedtoexploreparticipants

attitudesandopinionstolower-carbonlifestyleoptionswithoutimposinganenvironmental

frameworkonthem.Assuch,theworkshopsfocusedonthethemeofshoppingratherthanclimate

changeandcarbon.Thisenabledustoexplorethemoregeneralprocessesthatparticipantsadopt

whenmakingconsumerdecisions,ratherthanfocusingsolelyonwhytheydonotchoosethelower-

carbonoption.

First,participantsweregivenaseriesofexercisesthatexploredtheirconsumerpreferencesinrelation

tovehiclepurchases,holidaysintheUKandtravellingbytrain.Theseincludedarangeofhigher-and

lower-carbonoptions.Reasonsforpreferenceswereexploredinsmallgroupdiscussions.

Next,insmallgroups,participantswereaskedtodesignanadvertisementforoneofthethree

domesticproductsidentified:energymonitors,heatingcontrolsorsolarpanels.Theywereinstructed

todesignanadvertisementthatwouldappealtothem,andtochooseanorganisationorindividual

thattheythoughtwouldbebestplacedtoselltheitem.Thisallowedustoexplorewhichfeaturesof

theproductsmostappealedtotheparticipants,whatkindofnarrativesandvaluestheywoulddraw

ontosellthemtootherNowPeople,andwhatkindofmessengerstheywouldprefer.Eachofthe

advertisementswaspresentedandthendiscussedbythegroup.

Thetopicofclimatechangewasnotintroducedasathemefordiscussionuntiltheveryendofthe

event.Eachworkshoplasteduptothreehours.

Sixworkshopswereheldintotal.Twooccurredineachofthreelocationsacrossthecountry:London,YorkandjustoutsideBristol,inYate.

Eachworkshopwasattendedbysevenparticipants;thesmallnumbermeantthateveryonewasableto

participatefullyinthediscussion.Workshopsweresegmentedbygender,withfourall-femalegroups

andtwoall-malegroups,reflectingthefactthatmoreNowPeoplearefemalethanmale.Thegroups

werealsodividedbetweenpeoplewithchildrenandthosewithout,asbothgenderandfamily

circumstancearesignificantinunderstandingdifferencesbetweenparticipantsattitudesandvalues(see

Table1.1below).Thesocioeconomicstatusofparticipantsdidnotformpartoftherecruitmentcriteria.

Thegroupswererecruitedbyareputablemarketrecruitmentcompanythatusesrecruitersatthe

communitylevel,toaccessparticipantsviasocialnetworksanddoor-to-doorcanvassing.Participants

weregiven60asanincentivefortakingpart.

Thediscussionswererecordedandtranscribed,withtheparticipantspermission.Thetranscriptions

werescannedtoidentifyoverarchingthemes.Thesethemesthenformedtheoverallstructurefora

Note:materials

usedduringthe

researchare

availableonrequesttothe

authors,asfollows:

Workshopsdiscussionguide;

Homeobservationsdiscussionguide;

Carsworkshopstimulusmaterials;

Holidaysworkshopstimulusmaterials.

Contact:

[email protected]@ippr.org


15/47


contentanalysisthatwascarriedoutmanually,usingspreadsheets.Theseinitialthemeswereadapted

iterativelyastheanalysisprogressed.Thissystemallowedforaclearbreakdownofthecontentof

eachgroupsdiscussion,includingdifferencesbetweenparticipantsandthroughtime,andfacilitated

clearcomparisonbetweenthegroups.

In-homeobservationsandin-depthinterviews

Thesecondstageoftheresearchforthisprojectinvolvedconductinghomeenergyassessmentsinthe

homesof10NowPeople.TheaimofthisstageoftheresearchwastogaugethereactionsofNow

Peopletoenergyadviceandspecificmeasureswhenconductedintheirhomes.

TheassessmentswereconductedbythelifestylemanagementcompanyTen,adaptedfromthegreen

conciergeservicethatitofferstothegeneralpublic.Afterthehomeenergyassessmentswere

conducted,theparticipantswerebriefedontheresults.ThebriefingincludedseeinganEnergy

PerformanceCertificatefortheproperty,aswellasamoredetailedbreakdownofenergyusewithin

thehome.Thisprovideddetailsofthespecificsofhomeenergyuse,suchasheating,lightingand

draftproofing,showingrunningcostsandCO2 contributionsforeachitem.Variousmeasuresthat

couldbeinstalledtoreduceCO2 emissionswerediscussedwiththeparticipants.Thebriefingwas

observedbyaresearcherandrecorded.

Theassessmentandbriefinglasteduptotwohours,afterwhichanin-depthinterviewwasconducted

withtheparticipantstodiscusstheirexperiencesoftheassessmentandbriefing,andtoaccesstheir

widerperceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviourmoregenerally.Theinterviewlasted

approximatelyhalfanhour.

TheTenobservationswereheldexclusivelyinLondon.Aswiththeworkshopstheobservationswere

segmentedbygenderandfamilycircumstance,takingintoconsiderationthatmoreNowPeopleare

femalethanmale.Thesocioeconomicstatusofparticipantswasnotapartoftherecruitmentcriteria

(seeTable1.2).

Participantswererecruitedusingthesamemarketresearchcompanyaswasusedfortheworkshops.

Participantsweregiven50asanincentivefortakingpart,andthehomeenergyassessmentwas

givenforfree.

ItisworthnotingthattheresearchforthisprojecttookplacebetweenOctober2008andJanuary

2009aperiodofmajorturbulencewithintheglobalfinancialsystemthatsawbailoutsofhighstreet

banksandgrowingexpectationsofamajorrecessiontofollow.Also,justbeforethisperiod,fuelbills

reachedveryhighlevels,althoughtheyfellduringthetimeoftheresearch.Thesefactorshavehada

significantimpactonthefindingsfromthisresearch.

Table1.1:Samplingforthedeliberativeworkshops

Workshoplocation Gender Children

LondonA Female Without

LondonB Female With

BristolA Male With

BristolB Female Without

YorkA Female With

YorkB Male Without

Table1.2:Samplingforthein-homeobservationsandin-depthinterviews

Observationlocation Gender Children No.ofinterviews

London Female Yes 3

London Female No 3

London Male Yes 2

London Male No 2


16/47


Thisisthefirstoftwochapterspresentingourfindings.ThischapterseekstoidentifyhowNow

Peopleperceiveclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviouringeneral.Itoffersseveralreasonswhy

communicationscentreddirectlyuponactingonclimatechangehavenotbeensuccessful,andhighlightscertainareasinwhichthesemessageshavehadsomesuccess.

Climatefatigue

Manyoftheparticipantsexpressedawearinessandfatigueaboutthesubjectofclimatechange,

havingbeenexposedtoextensivemessagesandinformationaboutthisandwiderenvironmental

issues.Thisfatiguewasevidentinthedynamicsofmanyoftheworkshops,whichbecamenotablyless

animatedfollowingtheintroductionofclimatechangeasatopicfordiscussion.Somefoundtheissue

veryboring.Othersusedtermssuchasfaddyandtrendy,suggestingabeliefthattheattention

giventotheseissuesistemporaryandwillpass,andalsothattheissuesmaysomehowbelackingin

substance:

Ithinkitisagimmick,alotofit,andthatputsmeoff.(Female,Bristol,withoutchildren)

Iworkforabigcompany,andweregettingthegreenthingrammeddownourthroat

allthetimeanditsjustgettingreallyboring.(Female,London,withchildren)

Itsoneofthosethingsyouthinkaboutforafewminutes,getdepressed,andmove

ontothenext.(Male,Bristol,withchildren)

Alotofrestaurantsandsuchlikearenowconcentratingmoreonfoodmilesandthings

likethatTome,itactuallyfeelslikeitsoneofthesethingsthatsabitfaddy:that

thatstheinthingtodojustnow.(Male,York,withoutchildren)

Imnotsureifsomepeopleareperhapsjumpingonabandwagon.(Male,London,

withoutchildren)

Uncertaintyaboutthescience

Beyondtheseinitialreactions,asignificantnumberofparticipantshelddoubtsaboutthescientific

basisforclimatechange.Someparticipantsdisplayedstrongscepticismaboutthescientificvalidityof

man-madeclimatechange.Morecommonly,however,therewasageneralacceptancethatclimate

changeishappeningandthatitisprobablydueatleastinparttohumans,butthatweareunlikelyto

bewhollyresponsible.Insupportofthis,participantswouldoftenrefertonaturalcycles,andmany

saidthattheydidnotknowwhattobelieve:

WhilstIappreciateweinfluencethingshowmuchisitjustthattheplanetisgoing

throughitsowncyclesandwhatwouldhavehappenedanyway?(Male,Bristol,with

children)

Theressomanyargumentsastowhatisdowntousandclimatechangeandcarbon

footprint,andwhatisjusttodowiththeEarthitself,thatitsdifficulttotell.(Male,

York,withoutchildren)

Cynicismtowardsgovernmentandcompanies

Oftenmixedwiththisscepticismaboutthesciencewasamoregeneralcynicismaboutthe

motivationsoftheGovernmentinpushingforactiononclimatechange.Severalparticipants

suggestedthatgovernmentscouldbeusingclimatechangeasameansofincreasingtaxation.

Commentsweremadehighlightinginconsistenciesandhypocrisyonthepartofgovernmentand

corporations,suchastheGovernmentdecisiontograntpermissionforthebuildingofthethird

runwayatHeathrow.Theseconflictingmessagesappearedtoreinforcethedoubtsthatsomeparticipantsheldaboutthescientificbasisofman-madeclimatechange:

Itsaformofstealthtaxtosomeextent.Idothinkpeoplefeelgenuinelyasifits

anotherexcusetotaxus.(Female,London,withchildren)

2.Perceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviour


17/47


Iftheyrereallyseriousaboutdoingstuff,whydonttheyjusttaxthegreen-issue

things?(Male,Bristol,withchildren)

ItsDoasIsay,isntitnotDoasIdo.(Female,London,withchildren)

Ifinditallabitschizophrenicwhentheyopennewairportterminalsforeveryoneand

driveusmadaboutwhatweredoingtotheenvironmentwhenwereflyingoffevery

day.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Confusionaboutthecausesofclimatechange

Asmallyetsignificantnumberofparticipants,whileacknowledgingthathumanactionsarecausing

theplanettowarmup,displayedconfusionaboutwhatexactlyclimatechangeisandwhatconstitute

theemissionsthatcauseit.Participantsfrequentlylinkedclimatechangedirectlytotheholeinthe

ozonelayer,andforsomeparticipantsthetwoissuesseemedtobeinterchangeable.Theyalso

regularlyassociatedemissionswith,inparticular,visiblesourcesofairpollution.Forexample,itwas

suggestedthatacarwithnovisiblesmokecomingoutoftheexhaustgaveofffeweremissionsthan

onewheresmokewasvisible,andalsothatasmokingpipemaygiveoffemissions.

WhenaskedbytheworkshopfacilitatorWhatdoesthetermclimatechangemeantoyou?,

respondentsrepliedasfollows:

Theozonelayerisgettingscrewed,basically,anditsleadingtoallsortsofworld

changeandmaybetheamountofelectricity,gas,fuelweuseiscontributingtoit

gettingworse.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

AmIputtingemissionsoutintotheworldbecauseImusingmyboiler,soyouseeall

thesmokegoingout?(Female,London,withchildren)

Ismybodyheatgivingoffemissions?(Male,London,withchildren)

Confusionaboutsolutions

Acommontendencyamongtheparticipantswastogroupissuesrelatingtoclimatechangetogether

withothersustainabilityissuesparticularlyrecycling,andethicalbehaviourmorebroadly.Thisis

importantbecausetheparticipantsattitudestowards,andexperiencesof,engagingintheserelated

issuesaffectedhowtheyperceivedreducingtheirenergyuse.

Asignificantnumberremarkedthatbyengaginginrecyclingtheythoughttheywerealreadydoing

theirbitanddidntnecessarilyfeeltheyhadtodoanymore:

IthinkeverybodyfeelsliketheyredoingalittlebitandthatsenoughIwouldnt

sayImfantasticatrecyclingandallthat.Idomybest.(Male,Bristol,withchildren)

IthinkitsgoodtodoyourbitbutIthinkdoingyourbitcanbeenough.(Female,

London,withoutchildren)

Moreover,manyrecountedstoriesaboutrecyclingcontainersbeingshippedtoChina,orbeing

contaminatedeasilybythewrongordirtymaterial,addingweighttouncertaintyabouthowmuch

doingyourbitcouldachieve.

Concernsabouteffectiveness

Manydiscussionsalsocentredontheineffectivenessofadoptingsmalllower-carbonbehaviourswhen

otherswerestillemittingelsewhere.Thiswasaverycommonperception.Thefree-ridersthat

participantsreferredtomostregularlyincludedothercountries,aswellascompanies,shopping

centresthatleavetheirlightsonallnight,andotherpeoplewhowonteverchange:

Youwonderhowmuchimpactithas,dontyou,ifeverybodyelseisntdoingit.

(Female,York,withchildren)YouhearthatonestateinAmericaproducesmorethanallofEurope,andyouthink

Doesitactuallymakeadifference?(Male,Bristol,withchildren)


18/47


WhilsttheChinesepopulationisincreasingby9percentor10percentayear,if

everybodyinEnglandstoppedusingcarsandanyelectricitywewouldmake1percent

differencetothewholeworld.TheChinesepopulationisincreasingby9percenta

yearsowhatsthepoint?(Male,York,withoutchildren)

Youtalktomeaboutsavingenergyinmyownhouse:driveuptheA40andseealltheseofficesat5oclockinthemorningwithalltheirlightson.Askmethat,andI

thinkShit!DoyouknowwhatImean?Youvegotalltheseofficeswithalltheirlights

on,andtheyretalkingaboutsavingelectricity.(Male,London,withchildren)

Resentmentaboutfeelingguilty

AnotherimportantinfluenceonNowPeoplesperceptionofclimate-relatedbehaviourchangeisthe

legacyofpreviouscommunications,andhowtheyhavebeenreceived.Manyoftheparticipantsfelt

thatrequestsforthemtodomorefortheenvironment,orforclimatechange,madethemfeelguilty

abouttheirlifestylesandsomewereresentfulofthis.Severalparticipantsinthehomeobservations

revealedthattheyhadexpectedtobejudgedbythedomesticenergyassessor,andoneinparticular

foundthatthewholeprocessoftakingpartintheassessmentinducedwithinherverystrongfeelings

ofguilt:

(I)dontwanttobemadetofeelguiltyformychoices.IhaveadishwasherandIlove

itandweliveinahouseprobablytoobigforus.Itswarmbecauseweheatit.We

bothworkveryhard,andwebuyreallynicethingsforourhomeIlikeit,andIdont

wanttobemadetofeelguiltyaboutthat,becauseImlivingthelifeIwanttolive.

(Female,London,withoutchildren)

ImfeelingextremelyguiltybecauseIknowIshouldbemoreawareofthesethings

butImnotandIthinkitsabitignorant,butthereyougo.(Female,London,with

children)

Negativeperceptionsofenvironmentally-friendlypeopleOnarelatedtheme,manyalsomadenegativecommentsaboutpeoplewhoengagein

environmentally-friendlybehaviours.Thesetendedtofocusonnegativepersonalitycharacteristics,

withtermsusedsuchasover-virtuous,self-righteousorsmug.Thislanguagemayindicatethatthe

participantsinquestionfeelthattheyarebeingjudgedbytheirmoreenvironmentally-friendlypeers.

Someparticipantsalsorecountedstoriesofpeoplewhopurporttobeenvironmentally-friendlybut

thenengageinabehaviourthatisnotinparticular,byflying.Sometimesthesestorieswereabout

peoplethattheparticipantknew,whileotherswereaboutcelebritieswhohadtravelledbyaeroplane

toplayattheLiveEarthclimatechangeconcert.Thesestoriesservetoundermineandreducethe

credibilityofthoseengagedinenvironmentalbehaviour.

Thenegativestereotypeshighlighted,andthefocusonlocatingflawsinthebehaviourofthose

engagedinlower-carbonbehaviours,areimportantperceptionstoconsider:

Ijustfeelitsalotofmiddle-classpeople[andit]makesthemfeelgoodthattheyre

doingsomething.(Female,London,withchildren)

IvegotareallyextremeneighbourandhesactuallyacameramanfortheBlue

PlanetandstufflikethatBecausehesalwaysupattheNorthPolehesalways

harpingonaboutitsallshrinkingandallthat.Ididpointouttohimhedoesabout

85,000milesinhisplaneeveryyeartogoandfilmit.(Male,Bristol,withchildren)

Theydidthatgig,didntthey?Thecelebritiesdidagigaboutclimatechangeabout

howwevegottoreduceeverything,andtheywereallbeingflowninintheirprivate

jets.(Female,Bristol,withoutchildren)

MyfamilythatlivedowninLewes,theythinktheyreall,like,greenperfect,andall

therestofitbutyettheygoonfourorfiveholidaysayear.AndIm,like,Yourenot

really,areyou?(Female,London,withoutchildren)


19/47


Costasabarrier

Anoverridingperceptionamongparticipantswasthatwhenmakingapurchase,costisamore

importantconsiderationthanenvironmentalimpact.Thiswasstatedexplicitly,andwasfurther

evidencedbythefarhigherprominencethatworkshopparticipantsgavetodiscussionsaboutmoney

comparedtoenvironmentalissues.Inparticular,thecreditcrunchwasreferredtoashavingmadethecostofthingsincreasinglyimportant.Someparticipantssuggestedthatthisfactorwouldresultin

environmentalpurchasesbeingpushedevenfurtherintosecondplace:

IthinkeveryonewantstodotheirpartfortheenvironmentbutifAis5andits

madeinChina,andtheexactsameproductis10butitsmadeoverhereyoure

goingtogofor[theformer]withoutanyguiltreally.(Male,York,withoutchildren)

Forgetthatyourehavinganyimpactontheenvironment.Itsabouthowmuchyou

saveinyourbackpocket.(Male,York,withoutchildren)

MuchasIdliketobegoodtotheenvironment,mywalletismoreimportantI

mean,Iamconsciousoftheenvironmentbut,youknow,peoplespocketsaremore

importanttothem.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Moneyagainstenvironment,obviously,isabitmoreofabalancenowthanitwas18

monthsago,whenpeoplefeltabitmoreconfidentandhadabitmoremoneyto

spend.(Male,London,withchildren)

Meanwhile,whenparticipantsdiscussedcostsavingsthatmightbeachievedbyadoptinglower-

carbonbehaviours,theyoftensawthebenefitsasbeingabletospendthemoneyelsewhereon

potentiallyhigh-carbonbehaviours:

IfIwastobuildahousetomorrow,itwouldhaveanythingenergysavingthatIcould

possiblyraminittomakeitasenergyefficientasIcouldandthenIcouldhavemy

AudiTT.(Female,York,withchildren)

Costasamotivator

Whereparticipantshadalreadymadeenergy-reducingchanges,thiswasoverwhelminglyrelatedto

costandthehighpricesofbills,ratherthansolelyormainlyinreactiontoconcernsaboutthe

environment.Someparticipantswerekeentofindanywaypossibleofsavingmoney,citingthecredit

crunch,therecessionandhighfuelbillsasmajormotivators.Severaloftheparticipantsalsolinked

highfuelbillstodepletingfuelresources:

Thereasonwearesomindfulofenergyatthemomentisnotthroughreal

environmentalreasonsthatsnotthemitigatingfactor.ItscostItsthecostissues

firstandforemost,andthen,probably,theenvironmentcomesintoit.(Female,

London,withoutchildren)

Iminfuriatingeveryoneinourhouseatthemoment,becauseImonmaternityleaveatthemoment,andwiththecreditcrunchImonarealdrivetosavemoney,andIm

goingaroundthehouseturningthelightsoffafterpeople.(Female,York,with

children)

WiththecreditcrunchBritainisgoingtobeinarecessionnowfor18months.Its

allaboutwhatyouresaving.Thatshowyouregoingtosellthingsonwhatyoure

actuallygoingtosave.(Female,London,withchildren)

Obviously,thewaythingsaregoingatthemomentwithelectricityandthegas

suppliersputtingyourbillsup,youwanttodowhatyoucantobringyourbillsdown.

(Female,London,withchildren)

Importantly,theinfluenceofsuchdriversmeansthatuncertaintyaboutthescientificbasisandcynicismaboutofficialmotivationsforactionarenotnecessarilybarrierstobehaviourchange.


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Twoparticipantswhoexpressedstrongopinionsofthisnaturehadpreviouslyconsideredpurchasing

solarpanels.Theyexplainedthatthiswasbecauseofadesireforgreatercontrolandautonomywith

regardstotheirenergysupply,againstabackdropofhighandfluctuatingenergyprices.

Anotherparticipantintheobservationswhowasquitescepticalaboutthescienceofclimatechange

washighlymotivatedtoreducehisenergyusebecauseofanawarenessofpressureonresources:

IdontthinkmansCO2 emissionsarenecessarilyleadingtothisthingcalledclimate

changeIquiteliketheideaofpeopleusinglessenergyandbeingmorecarefulwith

thingslikethatandbeinglesspollutingetc.Ithinktheymightbedoingitforthe

wrongreasonssoIdontnecessarilywantthedebateopenedup,[but]Imquiteglad

theyredoingalotofthesethingsTherightreasontodoitistonotpollutethe

worldanduseresourcesmorejudiciously.(Male,London,withoutchildren)

Astrongemphasisonsavingmoneywasapersistentandrecurrentthemeacrosstheresearch,and

presentssignificantopportunities.However,financialfactorswerenotalwaysthehighestpriority.For

some,beingoverlyconcernedbysavingsmallamountsofmoneywasboringandtoomuchofa

hassle,andsomethingthatoldbiddiesoradadmightbeinterestedin.

Awarenessofclimatechange

Despitetheconfusionandscepticismreferredtoabove,awarenessofclimatechangewasfairlyhigh

amongparticipants.Somereferredtothefactthatawarenessoftheseissueshasgrown.The

participantsthemselveshadagoodawarenessofdifferentfacetsofclimatechange,includingmelting

icecaps,threattopolarbears,carbonfootprintsandchangestotheweather.Morespecificallythere

werefrequentreferencestonoticeablechangesthatwereperceivedtohaveoccurredtoweather

patternsintheUK.

Poorpolarbearsitsallmeltingandtheyrenotsurviving.(Female,London,without

children)

Ithinkitcomesupwhentheweatherisstrange,moresothananythingfreakyweather.Whenyouhavestorms,peoplestarttothinkaboutitall:Allthisistodowith

climatechange.(Male,Bristol,withchildren)

Ithinkwereveryawareofthewaytheweatherischanging.Idothinkthatstodo

withouremissions,andthingslikethat.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Thefirstthingthatcomesintomindistheweatherthefactthattheseasonsareall

blurringandareallone.Imean,itclearlyisntbutthewintersaregettingcolderand

thesummersaregettinghotter.(Female,London,withchildren)

IthinktheresnormalpeoplenowthinkingabouttheenvironmentIthinkabout

itmorenowthanIeverdid,andprobablymorebecauseIvegotchildrenandbecause

ofthelasttwolousysummerswevehad.YoujustthinkOhgosh,isitreallystartingtomakeadifference?(Female,York,withchildren)

Doingyourbitandadislikeofwaste

Thereweresomepositivediscussionsaboutpeopleengaginginbehaviourchange,andsome

participantssuggestedthatpositiveattitudestowardsbeingenvironmentally-friendlyhavebecome

morewidespreadinrecentyears.Somereferredtotheimportanceofeveryonedoingtheirbitforthe

environmentandtheresultingpositivefeeling:

Itwouldbenicetothink[that]myhouseisreallyefficientand[that]Ivedone

everythingIcandoformyhousetobeasefficientaspossible.Thatwouldbeanice

feeling.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Ithinkitmakespeoplefeelgoodiftheycandoit.(Male,London,withchildren)

Severaltookprideindoingtheirrecyclingandreducingtheirwasteforexample,bytryingtobuy

productswithlesspackaging.Environmentalfactorssometimesplayedapartintheirreasonsforthis,


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buttheywerealsostronglymotivatedbyageneraldislikeofwasteandpollution,andasenseof

goodhousekeeping.

Ithinkthewholeideaofcuttingdownonfuelemissionsisgood,regardless,because

ofthepollution.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Imquitedisciplined.Idonthaveallthelightsonandeverythingpluggedonwhen

Imnothere,sofromthatsenseImakeaneffort[Its]goodpracticehousekeeping

andalsobecauseitsawaste,itsawasteofresources,isntit?Itsjustgood

discipline.Ithoughteveryonedidthat.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Anotherenvironmentalissuethatemerged,althoughlessregularlythanrecycling,andonlybythe

femalegroups,wastheuseofnon-plasticshoppingbags.Thisbehaviourisdifferenttorecyclingin

thatitisnotmandatedbyregulationandispurelyvoluntary.Itwasinteresting,therefore,thatsome

participantstalkedaboutengaginginthisbehavioureventhoughtheyfounditahasslehavingto

remembertotakeoutandusereusablebags.Therewerealsosomepositivediscussionsaboutusing

non-plasticbagsrelatingtobeingabletochoosegood-lookingorspecificdesigneralternatives:

Peopleareactively,sortof,signingupforitItsbeenquiteaquickculturalchange.(Female,York,withchildren)

Theimpactofparenthood

Beingaparentappearedtoplayamajorpartinparticipantsawarenessofclimatechangeandtheir

engagementinlower-carbonbehaviours.Severaldiscussedhowtheirawarenesshadbeenraised

becauseofwhattheirchildrenhadlearnedatschool.Participantschildrenoftenremindedthemto

turnthingsoff,suchaslightsandtapsinordertosaveelectricityandwater,andthisoftenplayedan

importantroleinraisingtheirawareness:

Mychildrenwillcomealongandturnthetelevisionofffrombeingonstandby,andall

thatkindofstuff,becauseitsdrummedintothem.Thatstheirage:theyretaughtitat

school,whereaswewerent.(Female,London,withchildren)

MydaughtersanEco-leaderatschoolandshesquiteintoitSaveourplanet.If

IvegotthebathrunningshellsayMum,thatsenoughwaterinthere,andIm,like,

What?.Shesquiteupwithit.(Female,London,withchildren)

Inothersituations,parentstookontheroleofremindingtheirchildrentobemoreenergyaware.

Ingeneral,theparentsappearedtobethemostengagedinlower-carbonbehavioursofallthe

participants,throughactivitiessuchasturningofflights,notleavingtelevisionsonstandby,andnot

over-fillingkettles.However,thisawarenessmayberelatedtotheextracostsinvolvedwithhaving

children:

Immoreconsciousnow.Laptopsmineareterribleforjustleavinglaptopsplugged

in.Imalwaysswitchingthemoff,PlayStationsandstuff.Wevejusthadamassive

reductionfromourenergysuppliersoImnotreallythatbotheredanymore.(Female,

York,withchildren)

Havingchildrenwasalsoanimportantfactorinhowtheparticipantsthoughtaboutthefuture,and

theconsequencesofactionstakentoday:

Itseco-friendlyisntit?Thinkingaboutourchildrenyouknow.(Female,York,with

children)

Doyouwanttogogreenanddoyourbittomakeyourchildrenproudofyou?Im

sureyoudo.(Female,London,withchildren)

Obviously,Ithinkaboutmygrandchildreninyearstocome.Idontwantthemsuffering,andthingslikethat.(Female,London,withchildren)


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ThischaptersetsoutNowPeoplesattitudestowardsspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices.We

identifythefactorsthattheytakeintoaccountwhenmakingconsumerchoicesincertainareas,and

thefactorsthatmayworktoinhibitorencouragegreateruptakeofthedesiredlower-carbonoption.

First,welookatthefindingsfromworkshopactivitiescentredonsixspecificlower-carbonconsumer

choices:

Energymonitors

Heatingcontrols

Solarpanels


UKholidays

Holidaytravelbytrain.

Thefirstthreechoices(energymonitors,heatingcontrolsandsolarpanels)wereexploredthrougha

standardisedworkshopformat.Theparticipantsweredividedintogroups,eachofwhichwasallocated

oneofthethreeproductstodiscuss,andwasgivenafactsheetaboutthatproduct.Thegroupswere

askedtodesignanadvertisementfortheirproductthatwouldappealtothem,andtoproposethe

person,organisationorotherbodybestplacedtosellit.Eachgrouppresentedtheiradvertisement,

andthepresentationwasthenfollowedbyawhole-groupdiscussion.Thefindingsarepresented

belowintermsofinhibitingfactors,encouragingfactorsandmarketingideas.

Forthefollowingtwochoices(energy-efficientvehiclesandUKholidays)participantsweregiven

stimulusmaterialstoprovokemoregeneraldiscussionaroundthechoicestheymakeandreasonsfor

thosechoices.Forthefinalchoice(holidaytravelbytrain),discussionflowedonnaturallyfromthe

previousconversationaboutUKholidays.

Afterexaminingthesesixspecificconsumerchoices,welookatthefeedbackfromobservedhome

energyassessmentsandin-depthinterviews,carriedoutinthehomesof10individuals.

Energymonitors

Energymonitorsaredevicesthatshowhowmuchelectricityisbeingusedinthehomeatanyone

particularmoment.

Inhibitingfactors

Asignificantminorityoftheparticipantswerenotinterestedintheenergymonitorbecausethey

believeditwouldbeannoyingandwouldstopthemrelaxing.Otherssaidtheproductwasboring

becausetheywouldbethinkingaboutthemoneytheywasspendingallthetime,andtheywerenotinterestedinthesmallamountsofmoneythattheyperceiveditmightsavethem.Someparticipants

expressedconcernsthatthemonitorcouldbedetrimentaltothelivesofolderpeoplebyencouraging

themtoturnofftheirelectricitytoomuch.

Talkaboutwindyouup,thoughyoudsitindoorsgoing:Turnitdown,turnthat

lightoff:itsjustcostus50p!ItwouldbeanightmareThatwouldreallyannoyme,

knowinghowmuchitscostingmeeveryday.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Theresnothingjoyousorhappyitsjustgoingtomakeyouwatchyourmoney

disappear,andthenyoullgettoapointandyoullhaveinyourmindhowmuchyou

arepreparedtospendinamonthandyoullbesoboring.(Female,London,without

children)

Itsveryboring,whateveritis.Imnotattractedtoit.Icanteatit.Icantwearit

whywouldIwantit?...Ifthatwasboughtasapresentforme,Idbedisappointed.


3.Perceptionsofspecificlower-carbonchoices


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Ijustdontseethebenefitofit,tobehonest.Iwouldntworrythatmuchhowmucha

lightbulbwascostingmebecauseIwouldntbotherlivinginthehouse,then,ifthat

wasthecase.(Male,York,withoutchildren)

Twomaleparticipantsindifferentworkshopscomparedtheenergymonitortothemilespergallon

(mpg)gaugeincars.Theyexplainedhowseeingthepetrolthattheywereusingwasannoyingbecauseitdidhaveaneffectonthewaythattheydrove.Sowhiletheywerenotnecessarilypositive

abouttheenergymonitor,theywereacknowledgingthatbeingpresentedwiththiskindof

informationmightaffecttheirbehaviour:

ItsliketheMPGthinginyourcar,isntit?Onceyourealise:OhmyGod!Itdoes

work,doesntit,whenyouseethemonitors.(Male,Bristol,withchildren)

NotagoodideabecauseitstakingBMWswayofmilespergallonthing.Asyoure

drivingalong,itsunderneathyourfuel,soyoudriveaccordinglyandyourelikeOh

God,no.(Male,York,withoutchildren)

Encouragingfactors

Fewoftheparticipantsdisplayedthekindofnegativityexpressedaboverather,mainly,theyreceiveditpositivelybecauseofthemoneytheysawitcouldsavethem.Theyoftenrelatedthis

motivationtothecreditcrunch,ortohighenergypricesandbills.Severalsawitspotentialtohelp

themwiththeircurrenteffortstoreduceenergyaroundthehouse:

Itdependshowmuchitiscostingwhenyoubreakitdown.Wepayourbillsmonthly,

andtheyregoingthroughtheroofbutthen,ifyoubrokeitdownanditreallywas

costingyoualotforanhourtohaveallthoseappliances,thenyeah,Iwouldbuyit.


Ifyoureinthatmindsetofactuallywantingtosavearoundthehome,itsreally

good...Itwouldprobablysellitselfinthisdayandage.(Female,York,withchildren)

Marketingideas

Theadvertisementsfortheenergymonitorprimarilyemphasisedthatitwaslowcostandthatitcould

easilysaveyoumoney,withsomereferringtotheveryquickresultingpay-backtime.Thebenefitto

theenvironmentwasmentionedbytwoofthegroups,butonlyasaminorpointalongsidethepriority

ofsavingmoney.

Differentgroupscommunicatedthebenefitsofsavingmoneyindifferentways.Someusedimagesof

themonitoratworkwithinahomesettingforexample,measuringtheenergyuseofappliancesas

theywereswitchedonandoff,andrelatingthisvisuallytothemoneythatcouldbesavedbyusing

themonitor.Oneattemptedtoincreasetheappealofsavingmoneybyemphasisingthepleasurethat

couldbegainedbyspendingthismoneyelsewhere:

Youvegotthepoundsclickinginthecorneraswell,soyoucanactuallyseeadirectcorrelationbetweenlightsgoingonandhowmuchthatscosting.(Male,Bristol,with

children)

Wethinkitsminimumcostformaximumpleasure.Withoutthemonitorandthe

electricityandthecostofyourhometoyourightnow,yournextholidaycouldbein

therainonacampsite.Shouldyoubuythis,for29.95,thesavingyoumakeoverthe

yearyoucantakeyourmostfavouritemantoPariswithyou,abitofchampers,abit

ofpleasure.InsteadofaholidayinPontefract,youcouldholidayinParis.(Female,

York,withchildren)

Twogroupsdescribedscenesdrawingonaspectsofculturethatareassociatedwithmoneysaving

namely,austerityinthepost-war1950s,andDavidDickinson,celebritypresenterofanantique-dealing

televisionshow.Theseadvertisementsdrewonhumourandironytoincreasetheappealoftheproduct.

Therewasthatkindofmentalitythen,anyway,wasntthere?(Male,York,without

children)


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Backinthepost-war,andduringthewar,everyonewasgearedtowardsconserving

energyandputtingalimitontheirconsumptionwhattheywereusingwithrations,

sotherewasalltheselittleexamplesofhowyoucansaveonthis,andifyousavethis

amountandthat,anddothis,thenthatwouldbecosteffective.(London,female,

withoutchildren)

Othergroupsusedcelebritiesintheiradvertisementstoo.Inone,awell-knowncelebritycouple,

televisionpresentersTessDalyandVernonKay,wereusedtogainmainstreamappealfortheproduct.

Thecouplesimageofbeingfamilycentredanddowntoearthmayalsohavebeenimportant:

Theyreverymainstream,andmostpeoplewouldhaveheardofthem.(Female,York,

withchildren)

Anotheradvertisementusedwell-knownfigureBillOddiebecauseofhisassociationwiththe

environment.

Itwasrepeatedlysuggestedthatenergycompaniesorgovernmentenergydepartmentsshouldsellthe

product.However,severalparticipantssuggestedthattherewasalackoftrusttowardsthesetypesof

organisations.Thepointwasalsoraisedthatanenergycompanysellingaproductthatwouldreduceitscustomersenergyusewasaconfusingmessage:

Well,wedontknowifyoudtrustanenergycompanygivingittoyou,because

theyredoingthemselvesoutofmoneythatyouresavingThelikesofBTgiveyou

theequipment[sothatyou]use[theirservice]more,dontthey,soitsalmostthe

opposite.Wouldyoutrustanenergycompanygivingittoyou?(Male,Bristol,with

children)

Severalofthegroupssuggestedthattheproductcouldbegivenawaywhenpurchasingahigher-

valueproduct.

Heatingcontrols

Heatingcontrolsallowyoutochoosewhentheheatingison,howwarmitis,andwhereyouwantthe

warmthinyourhouse.Theywillalsomakesurethattheboilerisonlyturnedonwhenitneedstobe.

Inhibitingfactors

Theoverridingreactiontothisproductwasageneralconfusionaboutwhatitdid.Inparticular,the

participantsdidnotseemanybenefitstothesmallincreaseinfunctionalitythatitofferedaboveand

beyondtheheatingcontrolstheyalreadyhad,suchasroomthermostatsandthermostaticradiator

valves.Overall,thisconfusiontranslatedintoageneraldisinterestintheproductandnodesireto

purchaseone.However,thismayhavebeenpartlyaresultofwhatinformationwaspresentedtothe

participantsintheworkshops.

Itsreinventingthewheel,isntit?(Female,London,withchildren)

Encouragingfactors

Wheretheparticipantswerepositiveabouttheproduct,thisrelatedtoitsabilitytosavethemmoney

althoughtheyquestionedhowmuchitwouldsaveaboveandbeyondtheirexistingstandard

heatingcontrols.Theonegroupthatwasunusualinbeingovertlypositiveabouttheproduct

emphasisedhowitwaseasytoinstallandalsothatitwasmodernandagimmick:

Wealsothinkitsnewandmodern,andanewapproach,[and]wethinkpeopleare

intonewthingsratherthanold-fashionedthings.Thatswhatwethoughtwasthebest

thingaboutitPeoplelikegettingagimmick.(Female,Bristol,withoutchildren)

Marketingideas

Ingeneral,theparticipantsdidnotengagewellwiththeheatingcontrol.Theywereunsureofthe

benefitstheproductofferedandso,correspondingly,theadvertisementstheycreatedwerenotvery

developed.Ingeneral,theyresortedtorecitingtheinformationthathadbeengiventothem,

displayingimagesofthecontrolsbeinginstalled,andexplainingthevariousfeaturesitcomprised.


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Theonegroupthatwasmostpositiveabouttheproductemphasisedprimarilythepotentialitoffered

tosavemoney,butalsoemphasisedtheenvironmentalbenefits:

Wethinkthatsquiteapositiveandgreenthingyourenotwastingheat,yourenot

wastingenergy,sothatwilldothegreenside.Wethinkitwillactuallyappealto

everybody,becauseeverybodywantstosavemoneyontheirheatingbillsandsometimes[thinks]Idontknowhowtochangemyheating.(Female,Bristol,with

children)

Oneothergroupdevisedanadvertisementwithastrongmessage,focusingpurelyonthefinancial

benefitsoftheproduct.Itsaimwastoemphasisethewaythatheatinginthehomewasdirectlylinked

tospendingmoney.Thiswasachievedbydepictingahousewithnoheatingcontrol,withpoundsigns

escapingfromthepropertylikeheat,andahousewithheatingcontrolswiththepoundsignsstaying

intheproperty.Tofurtheremphasisethisbenefit,andtoplaytoconcernsthattheaudiencemayhave

aboutthecostsofheating,theimageswereaccompaniedbythesloganYourcostscontrollingyou??

Keepcontrolofyourcosts!!.

LikethegroupthatusedTessDalyandVernonKaytoselltheenergymonitor,onegroupuseda

celebritycouple,LouiseandJamieRedknapp,toselltheheatingcontrol.Thegroupindicatedthatthis

wastodrawonthecouplesimageasbeingdowntoearthandfamilyoriented.Anothergroupused

televisionpresenterMichaelParkinson,becausetheybelievedhewasperceivedastrustworthy.

Solarpanels

Solarpanelisacommontermforphotovoltaicmodule,whichcanbeusedinalargerphotovoltaic

systemtocreateelectricity.Therearetwomainforms:solarelectricityandsolarhotwaterpanels.Itis

possibleforahouseholdtoruncompletelyoffphotovoltaicelectricityfromtheuseofsolarpanels,yet

thisisunlikelyinmostcases.

Inhibitingfactors

Therewerefrequentdiscussionsamongparticipantsaboutthepooraestheticvaluesofthesolarpanelmodel,andofsolarpanelsmoregenerally.Severalparticipantswereunconvincedaboutthemodels

claimtofitflushontotheroof:

Butthatswhatyourroofwouldlooklike?Ijustdontthinkforanaestheticpointof

viewitwouldlookverypleasant.Imean,Ivehadacompletelybrandnewroof,andI

wouldntwantthatstuckonmyhouse.(Bristol,Male,withchildren)

Ihaveafriendthathasgotsolarpanelstheylookhideousonherroof,though.


However,whileimportant,generallythiswasnotconsideredaverysignificantfactor,andother

participantswereambivalentaboutwhattheirrooflookedlike.

Theyreactuallynotasunsightlyastheyusedtobe.Yearsagoyouusedtoseethemrandomlyonoddhousesinthecountryside,didntyoutheyusedtobequitebig

things.Actuallytheyrenotthatbad,arethey?(Female,York,withchildren)

Amainfactorthatinhibitedparticipantsfromwantingtobuytheproductwasagenerallackof

knowledgeaboutsolarpanels.Theyweregivenafactsheetaboutmodelsolarpanels,butallgroups

indicatedthattheyneededmoreinformation.Questionswereaskedaboutwhethertherewasenough

sunshineintheUKforthepanelstoworkwell.

Idontknowhowefficientitisinthiscountry.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Howmuchrealsundoyouneedtopowerthese?IdontknowthatIwouldnt

know.(Female,London,withchildren)

Manywantedtoknowthepaybacktimeandhowmuchofahouseholdsenergytheproductwould

actuallyproduce.Somefairlyextravagantestimatesweremadeaboutthisfigure,withthe

presumptionbeingthatthepanelcouldproducefarmoreelectricitythantheyactuallycan.


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Themaindisincentivetobuyingthepanelwasthehighupfrontcost.Intheobservations,where

participantshadaccesstomoredetailedinformationaboutsolarpanelsthaninthegroups,nonesaw

thisasarealisticoption,duetothelowlevelsofenergyoutputandcorrespondinglylongpayback

times.Forsomeworkshopparticipants,thefactthattheydidnotplantoliveintheircurrenthomes

foralongperiodoftimewasacontributingfactortotheirresponse.Severalcommentedthatdueto

thehighcosts,installingsolarpanelswasmoreaboutdoingyourbitthanarealisticpurchaseoption:

Itsaveryexpensiveoutlay,anditsnotourforeverhouse.(Female,London,

withoutchildren)

ItsalotofmoneytonotsaveyoumuchThatsmoreaboutdoingyourbit,isntit?


Wholivesinapropertyfor20yearsnow?Thatsthedownside,isntit?(Male,York,

withoutchildren)

Obviouslyweallwanttosavemoney,buttohavetospendout10,000for,say,35a

year,unlessyoureintendingtostayinyourpropertywhoknowswhatsgoingto

happen?SoIdontwanttolookthatfarahead.(Female,London,withoutchildren)

Encouragingfactors

Therewasasignificantpotentialforencouragingtheuptakeofsolarpanelsbythetargetgroup.In

general,theparticipantswerepositiveaboutthepurchase,andmanywouldhavebeeninterestedin

buyingthisproducthaditcostless.

SeveralsuggestedwaysinwhichtheGovernmentcouldregulatetomakesolarpanelsmoreaccessible:

acommonsuggestionwasinstallingthemonallnewbuildingsorcouncilhouses.Anotherwasa0per

centloanforthecostoftheproduct,payablebackoverfiveyears.AnotherwasfortheGovernment

tooffsetthecostofinstallingoneagainstonesstampduty:

IwilldowhatIcantodomypartinfightingclimatechange.I,likemostpeople,

[am]limitedfinancially[asto]whatIcando.Iwouldlovetheideaofhavingsolarpanels,forexample,butthecostisentirelyprohibitive.(Male,London,without

children)

Ithinkitsreallyappealingitsjustthecostreallythatputmeoff.Idhavethat

tomorrowifitwasntsoexpensive.(Female,York,withchildren)

Ivealwaysthoughtthattheroofissuchawastedspace,andwhattheyshould

probablydoissticktheseonanewbuildandsay,Right,everyoneshousepricesare

nineor10grandmore,andyoudautomaticallyhavethem.Theresnoreasonwhyno

roofshouldhavethoseatall.(Male,Bristol,withchildren)

Acommonthemethatemergedwasthathavingasolarpanelenabledtheusertobeself-sufficient

andthereforeinsulatedfromchangingorrisingenergyprices.Itwasforthisreasonthattwooftheparticipantshadpreviouslyconsideredbuyingsolarpanels,eventhoughtheydisplayedhighlevelsof

cynicismaboutthemotivationsofgovernmentaroundactiononclimatechange:

Itsalsobecauseitmakesyouself-sufficient.Yourenotnecessarilyatthemercyof

anyothercompaniesthatchargeyoutheirrates.Ifyouhaveyourownsolarenergy,or

somethingalongthoselines,inyourhomethenyourenothavingtobendoverto

whatevercompanyandpaywhateverbillswhentheydecidetohiketheirpricesup

Soitdoesmakealotmoresensenow.(Female,London,withchildren)

Marketingideas

Theenvironmentalbenefitsfiguredmorestronglyintheadvertisementsforthesolarpanelthanin

thosefortheenergymonitor.However,forsomethiswasrelatedtoaperceptionofsolarpanelsasaproductthatwouldonlybepurchasedbyenvironmentallyinclinedpeople.

Inothercasestheenvironmentalbenefitwasmentionedasasecondaryorminorbenefit,alongside

otherreasonsforbuyingtheproduct.Theseincludedbeingabletosavemoney,beingabletoinsulate


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oneselffromfluctuatingenergyprices,andaddingvaluetoonesproperty.Oneoftheadvertisements

Consumer Power: How the public thinks lower-carbon behaviour could be made mainstream

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