Understanding the Attitude-Behavior Gap for Renewable Energy Systems Using Behavioral Reasoning Theory

TLDR

Consumer adoption of renewable energy is crucial for sustainability, yet diffusion remains slow despite growing ecological awareness and preference for green products. The study investigates the psychological process of adopting solar panels among 254 Irish homeowners. Using Behavioral Reasoning Theory, the authors model how reasons for and against solar panel adoption mediate the link between attitudes, values, and adoption intentions. Findings confirm that reasons for and against solar panel adoption counterbalance each other in shaping adoption intentions, indicating that mediating constructs must be considered when explaining consumer attitudes toward renewable energy.

Abstract

Consumer adoption of renewable energies is an important step towards less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy systems. But despite growing ecological awareness and articulated preferences for green products, renewable energies face slow rates of diffusion in consumer markets. This has been hard to explain given consumers’ favorability to the concept of products that lower one’s impact on the natural environment. This study uses data from 254 homeowners in Ireland to investigate the psychological process of adopting a renewable energy system – solar energy panels. Applying Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT), this research examines a proposed model in which reasons both for and against adopting solar panels mediate the relationship between consumers’ attitudes, values and adoption intentions. Results suggest the model is generally supported with both reasons for adoption and reasons against adoption having countervailing influences in the psychological processing of adoption intentions. These findings suggest that researchers and marketers should include mediating constructs, such as (i) reasons for adoption, (ii) reasons against adoption, and (iii) attitudes toward a technology when attempting to explain how consumers think about the adoption of renewable energy systems.