Subcommittee Examines Relationship Between Social Behavior and Energy Choices
(Washington, DC) – Everyday millions of Americans make decisions involving the use of energy, from what type of car to purchase, whether to take public transportation, what temperature to set thermostats to, or if it’s worth purchasing energy efficient appliances. Today, Members of the Science & Technology Committee’s Research and Science Education Subcommittee examined how social and behavioral research can influence decisions effecting energy conservation.
During the hearing, “The Contribution of the Social Science to the Energy Challenge,” Subcommittee Chairman Brian Baird (D-WA) affirmed the importance of social and behavioral science in solving our nation’s energy crisis.
“Solving our nation’s energy challenge will depend on a combination of technological innovation and behavior change.” Chairman Baird said. “This Committee and this Congress have held countless hearings on the energy technologies of tomorrow. What we don’t talk about is behavior – and how changes in behavior can start making a big dent in our energy challenges today.”
U.S. households consume more than one-third of annual U.S. energy consumption. Of that, approximately 60 percent goes into powering homes and the rest into fueling household vehicles. American homes consume 2.4 times as much energy as homes built in Western Europe.
“I understand that it is very challenging to determine why people do what they do regarding energy, given all the variables in their lives,” said Ranking Member Vernon Ehlers (R-MI). “If Congress creates what looks like good policy, but which lacks an understanding of the primary drivers of decision-making, our policies may still fail. We must account for social factors when crafting energy policies.”
A 2003 survey by the Alliance to Save Energy found that 92 percent of consumers agree that business, government and consumers share the responsibility of reducing energy use – but attitudes haven’t translated into action.
“The truth is that the typical consumer doesn’t have the information he or she needs to factor energy use into purchases and behaviors, and the government and industry have fallen far short in providing or communicating the needed information to the public in a way that will result in behavior changes,” Baird said.
Members of the Subcommittee today heard from witnesses on how social science research can help provide information on addressing energy challenges, determine how information interacts with other decision-making factors, and work with policy-makers to help shape targeted information campaigns and policies.
Today’s witnesses included Dr. Robert Bordley, Technical Fellow, Vehicle Development Research Laboratory, General Motors Corporation; Dr. Robert Cialdini, Regents' Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University; Dr. Jerry Ellig, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University; Mr. John “Skip” Laitner, Visiting Fellow and Senior Economist, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy; and Dr. Duane Wegener, Professor of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University.
For more information on the hearing, follow this link.
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