Communication and the Adoption of Energy Conservation Measures by the Elderly

A four-wave panel study was conducted in a Midwest community to determine the relationship of communication to adoption of energy conservation behavior among homeowners. Special attention was paid to the communication and energy use constraints faced by the elderly. Analysis indicates that younger respondents adopted actions to save energy in the home at a faster rate than did older respondents. This study found that energy-related content in the mass media bears stronger relationships with the perceived importance of the energy problem than with adoption of energy conservation behavior. The latter is associated more strongly with utility pamphlet reading, information requests, and utility audits, which provide more specific and customized information necessary for implementation of energy conservation measures. It is suggested that the role of communicators and educators in encouraging and reinforcing energy conservation remains very important