| dc.description.abstract | High levels of energy consumption are a decade old problem in both the Netherlands and the world. Governments propose strict guidelines for businesses, but household energy consumption remains high. By addressing the behavior of purchasing energy efficient products, a sustainable method of decreasing energy consumption is instigated, as opposed to having households use their appliances less. To do so however, a better understanding is required of what drives households to purchase energy efficient products.
Literature only provides limited information regarding this specific topic, so explanatory variables are identified which influence energy efficient product consumption behavior based on models relating to pro-environmental behavior. Socio-demographic, internal and external factors are identified in literature and are operationalized in the form of a survey. By means of a test panel the applicability of the survey is further increased before collecting sample data.
218 questionnaires are collected on which statistical analysis is carried out. Descriptive statistics indicate that a large number of the exploratory variables show a relation with the dependent variable of energy efficient product consumption behavior, which is further substantiated through correlation. Over half the variables show significant correlation with the dependent variable. Further analysis through regression provides three distinct predictors that could, partially, predict the dependent variable. Self-efficacy, personal conservation and age account for a moderate amount of explained variance (R2 = .212).
While certain limitations are recognized, such as overrepresentation of perception questions, the research shows that the identified exploratory variables to an extent influence energy efficient product consumption behavior. As behavior is an intricate construct, and this is an exploratory study, attention should also be paid to the method applied, as comparable methods for predicting energy efficient product consumption behavior are sorely missing. While more research is needed on the topic, a strong case is made for why the findings of this research contribute to theory and practice, and new research topics are identified. | |
