Informed Citizen Panels on the Swiss Electricity Mix 2035: Longer-Term Evolution of Citizen Preferences and Affect in Two Cities

Alexane Dubois, Simona Holzer, Georgios Xexakis, Julia Cousse and Evelina Trutnevyte
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Alexane Dubois: Renewable Energy Systems, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Blvd. Carl Vogt 66, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Simona Holzer: Renewable Energy Systems, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Blvd. Carl Vogt 66, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Georgios Xexakis: Renewable Energy Systems, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Blvd. Carl Vogt 66, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Julia Cousse: Renewable Energy Systems, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Blvd. Carl Vogt 66, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Evelina Trutnevyte: Renewable Energy Systems, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Blvd. Carl Vogt 66, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 22, 1-21

Abstract: For a successful transition to low-carbon electricity supply, public support is essential. Citizen preferences are best understood in the process of informed citizen panels, where citizens are informed about the pros and cons of various electricity technologies and spend time reflecting on the trade-offs. We investigated how information about electricity technologies and their sustainability impacts can change citizens’ preferences and affect for the complete Swiss electricity mix 2035. The citizens received information as factsheets and, during workshops, discussed in groups and built their preferred electricity mix using an interactive tool. The informed citizen panel (N = 33) in the Swiss city of Geneva showed high support for domestic renewable technologies and end-use efficiency, as well as low support for net electricity import, natural gas, and nuclear power. Preferences and affect for unfamiliar technologies changed after receiving information and remained stable even in the longer term four weeks after. Preferences and affect for already familiar technologies, like hydropower, barely changed. The same procedure in the two Swiss cities of Geneva and Zurich (N = 46) enabled the identification of robust support for renewable technologies and efficiency with only minor context-specific differences.

Keywords: informed citizen panel; public preferences; affect; citizen engagement; electricity mix; sustainability impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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