2020_Energy_Literacy
Description
The data was obtained during an online survey in June 2020, conducted with the support of IQS Poland, a research agency, and addressed to respondents in four countries: France, Spain, Italy, and Denmark. The survey was completed by 3,200 respondents (800 in each of the countries). Random-quota sampling was employed, and the amounts were set for variables including age, gender, size of the place of residence, education level, and region. The target group consisted of respondents who were responsible or co-responsible for paying electricity bills or purchasing electrical appliances in their households. The sample was gender-balanced (51% women and 49% men), and covered respondents aged 18-65 years (the average age in the sample was 42). The questionnaire was designed to gather a wide range of information on respondents’ use of electricity. The subjects it covered included equipping homes and workplaces with electrical appliances; ownership and opinion on electricity production and storage devices; perception of current electricity prices; factors influencing energy saving; potential for purchase of electric cars; and attitudes towards technology, the environment, and energy transformation in the European Union. The questionnaire also assessed three concepts of smart grid technology – automatic lighting control, external washing machine control, and external charging control for an electric car. It reached beyond the notion of energy saving in itself, and assessed solutions that reduce the load on the energy network – both by reducing energy consumption, and by shifting energy consumption to off-peak periods (energy flexibility). This research is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.864283.