Consumers Rate Conservation Low in Solving Energy Challenges

A global survey by Accenture indicated that while three out of four consumers are worried about energy and climate change issues, nearly two-thirds do not believe that reducing energy use is the answer to reducing reliance on fossil fuels or foreign energy supply.

Among the survey of 9,000 people in 22 countries, additional questions indicated that: 

• 90 percent of consumers are concerned or extremely concerned about rising energy costs
• 76 percent are concerned or extremely concerned about possible energy shortages
• 83 percent are concerned about climate change
• 80 percent are concerned about local air pollution levels

Only 22 percent of consumers surveyed unreservedly trust energy companies to take actions to address energy challenges. Thirty-two percent do not trust them to take such actions, and 46 percent trust them only if they have direction from governments. This distrust was higher in deregulated or partially deregulated markets like the U.S., U.K. and Australia, and substantially lower in regulated markets such as China, India and Japan.

Forty-five percent of respondents think governments and political leaders must take the lead in addressing energy challenges, while only 24 percent said consumers should lead. Twenty-one percent said energy companies should lead in these actions.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents were concerned or very concerned about their country's reliance on other countries providing oil and gas, and 89 percent said it was important or very important to reduce their country's reliance on fossil fuels.

Seventy-two percent of respondents indicated they are not comfortable with energy companies being held by foreign interests, with anti-foreign sentiment highest in the Netherlands, the U.S. and Italy.

Despite these concerns, only a third of respondents agreed that cutting energy usage should be the top priority in addressing energy issues: 37 percent said using less energy is the best way to limit their country's reliance on fossil fuels, and 36 percent said that using less energy was the answer to reducing reliance on foreign countries providing oil and gas. Two thirds (63 percent and 64 percent, respectively) believe the solution to these challenges is to develop low-carbon sources of energy.

Return to April 2010 Western Energy News

To sponsor Western Energy News, please contact WEI at 503 231-1994.