I am an Assistant Professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Groningen.
Project Title
Ensuring a Just Energy Transition: The Role of Social Class
Systemic or behavioral change(s) addressed
In a first step, the project will focus on the changes required by residential households to participate in the energy transition. Namely, using less energy (for example, setting their thermostat at a lower temperature) and making adaptations to the home (for example, increasing insulation). In later stages, the project will consider other aspects of the energy transition and how they may be influenced by social class, such as the people’s ability to meaningfully join the decision-making process and people’s access to energy communities. The project also aims to explore how those of lower social class are perceived by themselves and others, and how that may influence voting patterns and support for energy policies.
Theoretical approach
Primarily, the project is interested in the interplay between individual (pro-environmental) motivation and the context of social class. As such, it will use well-established theories of pro-environmental motivation from environmental psychology, such as biospheric values (De Groot & Steg 2008) and the ABC model (Guagnano et al., 1995). In a novel contribution, it will seek to integrate theories of social class from social psychology, such as the social-cognitive perspective on social class (Kraus et al., 2012). For later stages, the project will draw upon theories of group dynamics, such as social identity theory (Tajfel, 1979), to explore the perceptions of different social classes and their interaction with each other.
Empirical research strategies
In the early stages, research will primarily be conducted through questionnaires using a combination of established and newly-developed items. Initial research will explore correlations between relevant constructs before moving into experimental research (likely using vignettes) to test causal relationships. Later research may build on earlier studies by using lab-based experiments or through collecting actual behaviour data such as smart meter readings.
Currently, panels used for questionnaire research are often unrepresentative of the different levels of society (especially those with less access to material resources, e.g., low-income households). It is central to the research question of the project that we can understand the particular barriers to the energy transition faced by those on the lower levels of the social class hierarchy (with a view to understanding how best to overcome these barriers). As such, part of the initial research stage will also focus on developing more diverse panels and how best to (sensitively) collect questionnaire data from, for example, low-income households.
Possibilities for inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration
In the initial stages, the project will seek to make a novel contribution to environmental psychology by integrating theories of social class into the discipline. To integrate these theories, the project will seek collaboration with social class researchers from social and organisational psychology. The project will also draw upon theories of group behaviour and group dynamics (i.e., social identity theory) through collaboration with social psychology. There are also opportunities to collaborate with researchers from sociology to understand social class on the meso- and macro-level. Later stages of the project may collaborate with disciplines such as law (to explore equal participation in decision-making) and economics (to explore pricing incentives that ensure equal participation in the energy transition).
Social transition(s) addressed
The project focuses on the energy transition. Namely, how can we, as a society, reduce the share of energy produced and used from fossil fuels and increase the share of energy produced and used from renewable energy sources (such as wind or solar power). The energy transition will require broad institutional and societal change that will likely have different outcomes for those in different levels of the social hierarchy (i.e., social class). The project has two central questions. First, how do barriers to participation differ based on social class? Second, how can we minimise these barriers to ensure a just transition?