University of Twente Student Theses
“Never let a good crisis go to waste” : The Effect of an Energy Crisis on Individuals’ Energy Saving Behavior in the Netherlands.
Fokkens, R. (2023) “Never let a good crisis go to waste” : The Effect of an Energy Crisis on Individuals’ Energy Saving Behavior in the Netherlands.
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| Abstract: | The sharply rising cost of electricity and gas motivated many Dutch citizens to make energy-saving changes in their homes (I&O Research, 2022). Past studies often focused solely on internal motivations to measure and predict sustainable behavior, whereas this study contributes by adding external contexts to internal motivation. This was done by using a theoretical framework based on a combination of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by Ajzen (1991) and the Attitude-Behavior-Context model by Stern and Oskamp (1987). Data was collected using an online self-reported survey. The target group concerned the general Dutch population (N = 233) with a requirement of being over 18 years old. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used for testing understanding which factors are influencing an individual's energy-saving behavior (Hair et al., 2014). The study's findings indicated that intention to save energy was a poor predictor of energy-saving behavior. In terms of TPB, the study found that Attitude was considered to be the strongest predictor of both Intention and Behavior. The additional factors Subjective Norm was a weak predictor of energy-saving behavior, and Perceived Behavioral Control did not appear to be a predictor at all. The external factors Positive Context and the Negative Context both demonstrated a clear correlation with Attitude and Energy Saving Behavior, indicating that they are reliable predictors of such behavior and can be helpful in future studies. An alternative framework was proposed to show which variables influence energy-saving behavior in the Netherlands in times of an energy crisis. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 70 social sciences in general |
| Programme: | Environmental and Energy Management MSc (69319) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/96442 |
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