Energy Literacy in Canada

Energy plays an important role in everyday activities, whether at a personal, institutional, corporate or social level. In this context, an informed or literate public is critical for the long-term conservation, management, pricing and use of increasingly scarce energy resources. A series of surveys were used to probe the literacy of Canadians with regard to energy issues ranging from relative ranking and importance of energy compared to other national issues, preference for various fuel types and willingness to pay for offsetting environmental impacts from energy generation. In addition, they were asked how Canada’s government should prioritize national energy independence over trade, even if ultimately reducing imports might impact national economic health. The survey revealed that Canadians have a good general knowledge of energy use and relative cost but lack detailed knowledge about sources of energy fuels, as well as sources and linkages with environmental impacts. However, an overwhelming majority of respondents indicated they were concerned about environmental issues; most seemed to direct that concern towards fuels such as coal and nuclear power where support was low compared to a relatively unconcerned view about the often substantial environmental effects of hydro dams or wind farms. Canadians say they have been willing to make adjustments to their own energy-consumption habits, to save money and conserve energy. Further, respondents generally expressed a willingness to pay a surcharge on monthly utility bills, if it would help mitigate the environmental impact of energy generation. There were limits to this view. Support for extra charges falls off rapidly as the costs go up; drivers showed themselves highly resistant to switching their commute to transit, even despite rising gas prices; and respondents were less enthusiastic to the idea of installing home solar panels or switching to electric cars, even when offered a subsidy to do so. In spite of some limitations regarding overall energy literacy, Canadians are also highly skeptical about the information they do get from virtually every stakeholder in the energy arena. In terms of trust and confidence, overall, respondents said they were more willing to listen to academics and economic experts; only a small majority was willing to fully trust those information sources at even low levels. In this serious topic area, respondents indicated they could not trust the credibility of environmental groups, and considered the oil and gas industry and governments by far the least trustworthy sources of information. Finally, in terms of future policy development, most cite the importance of Canada’s energy-trading relationship with the United States, but believe it is too dominant, and should diminish, with more effort focused on opening up new export markets elsewhere.