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Energy Saving within Households : how the Antecedents of our Behaviour Influence Energy Consumption

Niehoff, E. (2021) Energy Saving within Households : how the Antecedents of our Behaviour Influence Energy Consumption.

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Abstract:Household energy consumption has drastically increased within the last years, which considerably influences environmental degradation due to the required fossil-fuel burning. Half of the household energy consumption can be associated with direct energy use, meaning the application of electricity or gas. Hence, the antecedents for behaviours requiring direct energy use need to be investigated to construct suitable and tailored interventions to ultimately decrease energy consumption. The aim of the present study was to identify the antecedents that underlie energy-saving behaviour within households. Concretely, it will be investigated if and to what extent the constructs of pro-environmental attitudes, response efficacy, self-efficacy, household size, financial motives, political orientation, and environmental identity relate to energy-saving behaviour within households. For this, a quantitative questionnaire survey design was utilised. One hundred fifty-two participants completed the survey. The results of the regression analysis revealed that only the construct of environmental identity was a significant positive predictor of energy-saving behaviour within households. Although significant correlations have been found between all constructs, except for household size, they did not predict energy-saving behaviour. Lastly, the results have been discussed within existing literature, and future implications were given.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/86775
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