Development of CCS awareness and knowledge of the general public between 2004 and 2008

AbstractFor the actual implementation of new technologies such as CO2 capture and storage the development of social support can be crucial. Earlier research, however, showed that the majority of the general public is hardly aware of the possibility of CCS. To date however, few studies have repeated measures, in order to study how public awareness of CCS develops. This study therefore aims to investigate the development over time of public awareness of CCS, as well as the development over time of public knowledge and understanding of energy and climate and the relationship between these concepts. Our first survey of awareness and knowledge among the general Dutch public took place in 2004, the fourth in 2008. Overall, public awareness of CCS was found to be quite low. The knowledge tests revealed a very substantial part of the general Dutch public does not understand the relationship between current energy use and climate change. Knowledge levels on this topic did not increase between 2004 and 2008. Only awareness of CCS increased statistically significant, though not much. Almost half of the Dutch seemed to be still unaware of CCS by the end of 2008, despite the media’s attention for CCS and despite the plans for storage in Barendrecht being public for more than a year at this point in time