Sustainable energy behaviour in Malta : an empirical study

Abstract

This empirical study investigates the sustainable energy behaviour of the Maltese and Gozitan residents. Using a behavioural framework, a self-administered questionnaire containing eight internally consistent and uni-dimensional constructs (awareness of issues, subjective norms, personal norms, motivating factors, attitudes/inconveniences, intentions to act, satisfaction with local authorities’ initiatives, and opinion on future initiative proposals) was purposely designed for the present study. A quantitative analysis on the responses of an online sample of 783 respondents revealed, among other things, that the Maltese people are quite knowledgeable of sustainable energy issues and are aware of economic and environmental consequences for not adopting sustainable energy behaviour. They also reported (on average) personal norms, attitudes and intentions that match the requirements for sustainable energy behaviour. The study also shows that the Maltese population is neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the local authorities’ initiatives in helping residents engaging in and sustaining sustainable energy behaviour. In addition, responses varied as a function of demographic characteristics such as gender, locality, and income. The findings are discussed and the study goes on to provide various suggestions that could better guide policy makers in the quest of educating, informing, and convincing the Maltese general public that engaging in sustainable energy behaviour pays.