Milovanovic, Marko

Spears, Russell

Steg, Linda

English

ARTS repository - University of Groningen

   University of GroningenFuture energy communitiesMilovanovic, Marko; Steg, Linda; Spears, RussellIMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite fromit. Please check the document version below.Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordPublication date:2014Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research databaseCitation for published version (APA):Milovanovic, M., Steg, L., & Spears, R. (2014). Future energy communities: How community norms shapeadoption and acceptability of smart energy systems. Poster session presented at 2014 HeymansSymposium, Groningen, Netherlands.CopyrightOther than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of theauthor(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons).The publication may also be distributed here under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license.More information can be found on the University of Groningen website: https://www.rug.nl/library/open-access/self-archiving-pure/taverne-amendment.Take-down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons thenumber of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum.Download date: 07-06-2022Introduction Most research on factors influencing the acceptability and adoption of new energy systems is focused on individual-level factors such as personal norms, values, and attitudes. Some researchers have considered the effects of social factors such as descriptive and injunctive norms, but little research has been conducted on social factors at the community level, such as neighborhood identity and participation. The latter may play an important role in promoting the use of sustainable energy systems – as exemplified by various recent bottom-up approaches to establish lo-cal energy systems in the Netherlands. In this study, we consider the role that local communities can play in promoting the acceptability and adoption of sustainable energy systems. More specifically, we test to what extent community norms, and established sustainability norms on a community level, affect individual acceptabil-ity and adoption of sustainable energy systems. We expect this effect to be moderat-ed by the level of identification a person has with their community. We will present results of a questionnaire study among 200 Dutch citizens who are participating in an energy transition project. Results show that community-level factors are indeed related to acceptability and adoption of renewable energy systems.      Future energy communities  How community norms shape adoption and  acceptability of smart energy systemsMethodSampleN = 110, Mage = 44.3 years, SDage = 11.2 yearsQuestionnaireAcceptability: 2 items, α = .89e.g. I find smart energy systems to be very acceptable Injunctive Norm: 1 iteme.g. Other residents of my neighbourhood will deem it important to use smart energy systems in the futurePersonal Norm: 3 items, α = .81e.g. I would feel morally obliged to use smart energy systemsGroup-id: Self-stereotyping: 2 items, α = .80e.g. I have a lot in common with the average resident of my neighbourhoodResultsPeople who perceive strong injunctive norms toward adoption of new ener-gy systems also have strong personal norms on the topic. Our results show that this relationship is stronger for people who identify more strongly with their community. See Figure 1. Injunctive norms influence behavior indirectly, via personal norms. We call this process internalization. See Figure 2. Figure 2. Model R2 = .27Figure 1.DiscussionWe proposed that the stronger people identify with their community, and the more the community feels the adoption of the new energy system is important, the more strongly will the community norm toward adoption be internalized by its members. These results are a first step in our research to explore how norm internalization takes place and how internalized norms mediate the influence of social norms on behavior. Although our design is correlational, our results suggest that internaliza-tion of group norms can take place, and that this internalization is stronger for peo-ple who identify more with their community. As a next step, experimental research will have to confirm the causal direction of the relationship between social norms, personal norms and behavior. ProjectThis data was collected as a part of the Smart grid: rendement voor iedereen project. The aim of the project is to test different ways by which a succesfull energy transition can be made to renewable energies. The project focuses on household energy use and takes place in two pilots in the Dutch cities of Utrecht and Amersfoort.ContactMarko Milovanović Environmental Psychology Group m.milovanovic@rug.nlSupervisors: prof. dr. Linda Steg, prof. dr. Russell Spears

Future energy communities:How community norms shape adoption and acceptability of smart energy systems

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Future energy communities:How community norms shape adoption and acceptability of smart energy systems

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