Signaling sustainability and regionality in the electricity market: An eye-tracking study on visual labels

Tobias Menzel and Timm Teubner

Applied Energy, 2024, vol. 353, issue PB, No S0306261923014915

Abstract: A prevailing hurdle to the rollout of renewable energy is resistance on local levels. Aiming to address this issue, the German government introduced a classification for regional green electricity in 2019. A recent survey indicates that consumers appreciate this classification but also raises concerns of lacking transparency and credibility of its current communication. This study analyzes whether visual labels for regional green electricity can address this issue. Drawing on Signaling Theory, this paper studies how the label affects consumer attitudes and behavior and how familiarizing experiment participants with the label moderates its effects. We test the model by means of a multi-method lab experiment comprising eye-tracking and survey data. We find positive effects of the label with both objective (visual attention, time to decision) and subjective (stated trust) measures. Further, giving participants a briefing on the labels prior to the experiment moderates the labels' effects on visual attention and trust. These findings suggest that a regional green electricity label could provide a potent tool for policymakers to accelerate the transition towards a carbon neutral energy sector.

Keywords: Regional green electricity; Label; Energy transition; Experiment; Eye-tracking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261923014915
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:353:y:2024:i:pb:s0306261923014915

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122127

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().