Beliefs about a sustainable energy technology’s features and context drive its acceptability and acceptance: second-generation biofuels within the EU context

This research, consisting of two studies (qualitative and quantitative) is part of the EC H2020 ABC-Salt project. The project included technical aspects and a socio-economic study of the technology (sustainable liquid biofuels from various lignocellulosic wastes). This should ensure the future diffusion of this technology, taking into account social issues such as acceptance or change in the perception of transportation induced by these sustainable fuels. Understanding these factors is necessary to move to the adoption phase of this technology, indeed. Aim and approach The study1 (qualitative) aimed to investigate, according to a sample of 32 expert stakeholders, which are the barriers and facilitators of biofuels’ social acceptance. For this purpose, interviews were conducted and subsequently analyzed through content analysis. Study2 (quantitative), on the other hand, aimed to develop a all-encompassing model, which could identify, through multivariate statistical analysis (path analysis) barriers and facilitators of biofuels’ social acceptance. In constructing this statistical model, the variables considered as antecedents of social acceptance were extrapolated from the literature and the results emerged from the previous qualitative study. In Study2 the analyses were conducted on a sample of 1017 participants from eight different European countries, consisting of expert stakeholders and the general public. Data for Study2 were collected through the administration of an online survey. Scientific innovation and relevance This research, to the authors' knowledge, is the first in the literature to propose an integrated model that includes all contextual, technological, and socio-psychological factors to study the biofuels’ acceptance. Results or preliminary results and conclusions The results of the two studies revealed four different categories of variables, which may facilitate or counteract the biofuels’ social acceptance. Specifically, the following categories of beliefs emerged: about the characteristics of the technology to be adopted; about the characteristics of the adoption context, and thus economic and market or political and administrative; and about the social-psychological characteristics of the adopter. Some examples of biofuels’ social acceptance facilitators may be the biospheric values of the adopter, the sustainability of biofuels emissions when compared with fossil fuels, or the policy making legitimation of the technology. Barriers included, for example, negative emotions associated with the use of biofuels, a high initial cost of biofuels, or a lack of knowledge of such technologies. The results of the research then led toward some practical implications aimed at promoting the acceptance and adoption of such sustainable technology, and thus the ecological transition.