Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright BA MSc CPsychol Senior Research Fellow in Environmental Psychology Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development De Montfort University

 

INTUSER: Did you previously take part in FP5 or other similar EC programs?

Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright: Yes, after finishing my PhD in social psychology, I was employed as a post-doctoral researcher on an ALTENER project at De Montfort University in partnership with Leicester City Council looking at the feasibility of a local 100% renewable energy community.

INTUSER: How did you get involved in the INTUSER project?

Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright: Colleagues of mine here at the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development received a request for partnership in the area of public understanding of renewable energy and other energy sources.

INTUSER: What is your main field of activity, and which research field do you most prefer?

Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright: Environmental psychology is the name of my academic discipline, and within this, I look to look at 'green' or sustainability topics such as energy use, renewable energy technologies, transport and waste.

INTUSER: Tell us some words about the survey results - what are its main interesting points? Did you previously undertake similar questonnaires or did you exploit its results?

Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright: Most survey research that I have come across tends to focus upon 1 energy source or technology at a time (hence work investigating public attitudes to wind energy or nuclear power etc.). To go beyond this kind of work, the INTUSER survey set out to measure public attitudes towards 3 power sources in the one piece of research: fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables. In the results, analysis clearly revealed that respondents from certain Eastern European countries, notably Slovakia and to a lesser extent Romania, had markedly different attitudes to energy sources in comparison those from the other countries surveyed. This suggestion of difference between respondents from these states and other European countries also aligns with differences in levels of awareness and understanding. It suggests that, in relation to public awareness and attitudes towards energy issues, respondents from Hungary have more similar opinions to those existing EU countries than those in other Associated States. In contrast, Slovakian respondents held far more positive attitudes to nuclear energy than those from other countries, as revealed by preferences for power stations built in the local area and evaluations of nuclear energy and fossil-fuels as being beneficial at local and national levels.

INTUSER: What kind of organisation is the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development?

Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright: It is a small multi-disciplinary research centre dedicated to providing research, consultancy and teaching of the highest quality with the aim of furthering sustainability. Staff and postgraduate students come from areas of expertise such as economics, psychology, education, computer science and engineering.

INTUSER: How could you contribute to the INTUSER project in the future, and what ideas do you have in mind after the Intuser project is completed?

Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright: I hope to contribute to the ARENAs, as excellent opportunities for interactions between experts and members of the public.

INTUSER: Is the INTUSER Project well known in Great Britain or not? Who do you think may have heard about it, when and via what media? How could this knowledge be spread further?

Dr. Patrick Devine-Wright: I think that it is becoming increasingly well known as the project progresses; although it is difficult to gauge this precisely in the face of so many other pieces of information vying for attention about sustainability and energy issues. The website and newsletters are excellent and I have made efforts to distribute these widely to reach as wide a variety of people as possible.