Buddle, Megan (2024) The Role of Normative Barriers in Limiting Public Engagement in Energy Governance. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
To mitigate the current projection surrounding climate change, research has shown the critical need to transition to a de-centralised low-carbon energy system. Such a change in the energy system requires an increased level of involvement from the public such that the acceptance and implementation of renewable energy policies are more likely to occur and decentralised energy projects may be managed. This, however, remains a challenge, as public engagement in energy governance remains significantly low. Consequently, this thesis addresses the urgent need for public participation in energy governance and focuses on the role that social and personal norms play in this process. By using semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, this thesis explores descriptive social norms, injunctive social norms, and personal norms in the context of public participation in energy governance. The key themes identified include the normative impacts on (dis)engagement, and the effects of cognitive dissonance and institutional challenges on (dis)engagement. Ultimately, social norms seemed to encourage more private participation compared to public engagement, while personal norms appeared to be related to all forms of engagement but were most strongly experienced by those with prior active engagement. Moreover, the influence of other factors including cognitive dissonance and institutional barriers seemed to reinforce the process of disengagement. While this study showed the impact of norms on disengagement in public energy governance, they do not account for all variability, necessitating further research into other factors such as cross-cultural variation to enhance our understanding and foster more active public participation.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Chanteloup, A.B.M. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Jul 2024 08:17 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Jul 2024 08:17 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3666 |
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