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Energy Literacy and Its Determinants among Students within the Context of Public Intervention in Poland

Author

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  • Paweł Białynicki-Birula

    (Department of Public Economics, Cracow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Krakow, Poland)

  • Kamil Makieła

    (Department of Econometrics and Operational Research, Cracow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Krakow, Poland)

  • Łukasz Mamica

    (Department of Public Economics, Cracow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Krakow, Poland)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey concerning energy literacy conducted among a group of 913 students at the Cracow University of Economics in Poland—a country whose power system is still primarily based on burning coal and where the prospects of the closure of the mining sector present particularly difficult challenges. The aim of the study was to investigate specific aspects of energy literacy such as knowledge, behaviour, attitudes, and self-efficacy, and to determine what affects them using multivariate linear regression analysis. According to the findings, the primary factors determining energy literacy are gender, going away from home to study, and the experience of energy poverty. Self-efficacy, attitude, and the pro-ecological elements of both attitude and knowledge are the factors that have the most impact on students’ behaviour. The absence of a statistically significant impact of general knowledge on behaviour is a critical presumption for developing the premises of an effective pro-environment energy strategy. Based on the data, we present a number of policy proposals, including informational activity as well as ways of influencing the emotional and behavioural domains.

Suggested Citation

  • Paweł Białynicki-Birula & Kamil Makieła & Łukasz Mamica, 2022. "Energy Literacy and Its Determinants among Students within the Context of Public Intervention in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-20, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:15:p:5368-:d:870853
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Huan Sun & Shaofeng Wu & Bolun Zhang, 2023. "Energy Literacy of Residents in Rural Communities: Comparison of Tourism and Non-Tourism Villages," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-17, October.

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