survey

"The energy crisis is certainly one of the most complex subjects ever put before the media, and through them, to the American public. It encompasses international relations, economics, science, and that most unpredictable of groups, the consuming public.”

Walker, 1974

Most citizens have strong opinions on energy matters, but a recent survey in the USA of 1,333 adults demonstrates that the factual basis for such opinions is often missing in the respondent's mind. Asking 20 questions, typically less than a quarter of respondents answer correctly, and not a single question has more than 46% correct answers.

Of course, one does not need to know the exact numbers to form an opinion, and for some questions, the 'correct' answer is more a matter of opinion or expectation than actual fact.

Still, some misunderstandings may cause future surprises:

• a typical overestimate of the current impact of renewables, probably related to high media attention
• an overestimate of the US dependency on Middle East oil
• an overestimate of US energy dependency in general
• and an underestimate of the efforts made by companies to find alternatives (though the inclusion of gas-to-liquids and oil shale in this list adds apples to oranges)

It shows that 30 years after the first energy crisis , energy remains an education challenge. With energy currently at its peak of attention, low awareness of the facts now is unlikely to improve in the future.