Investigate the energy misperception for "Next Generation" in Italy: An online experiment

The use of renewable energy sources is the main tool to solve several issues like energy request, the excessive use of no-renewable energy sources and, in general, the global environmental pollution. In the light of this, it is important to raise awareness among individuals towards this type of energies to facilitate the circular economy transition. The investigation of misperception is crucial in the modern context of bio-economy because it could lead to an over-exploitation and depletion of several natural resources. Policymakers work for a cleaner energy system, and they need to investigate on social acceptability; “Next Generation” represents those who must contribute to this dutiful energy transition because they are the future actors of society. The aim of this work is to investigate the energy misperception on different sources among the “Next Generation” group. The analysis is carried out in Italy and the data were obtained through an internet-based survey, administered via Instagram for capturing Next Generation’s perception about the national energy mix. We found the younger have more misperception and one of the possible explanations could be that are more negatively affected by media and social media, or public opinion in general. Another motivation could be that the younger generation considers sustainability important and therefore tend to over-perceive renewable energy sources.