DIRECT AND INDIRECT CONSERVATION OF FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY: THE INFLUENCE OF FINANCIAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL MOTIVATORS AND AVAILABLE HUMAN RESOURCES

摘要

The development of this research was based upon a management model of motivation and available human resources for making decisions concerning the conservation of fossil fuel energy. The focus of the study was upon a measure of both direct and indirect conservation.;The research was conducted as a secondary analysis of data collected during the evaluation of a statewide household energy audit conducted at Michigan State University. Energy consumption data from utility and oil companies served as the measure of direct conservation. Indirect conservation was investigated through the analysis of self-reported participation in a variety of behaviors collectively defined as voluntary simplicity. The household was the unit of analysis for a total sample of 638 families. Multiple regression analysis served as the primary statistical procedure for testing the hypotheses.;A 1.8 percentage reduction in direct household energy consumption was found between the years 1977-78 and 1979-80. Nearly three-fourths of the households were found to have practiced at least some voluntary simplicity behaviors.;Relative cost of fuel used by the household was the only significant motivator for direct conservation (p = .016). Availability of human resources did not influence direct conservation. Neither did direct conservation contribute to a sense of personal control over energy problems.;Both motivation variables and human resources were included in a significant prediction model of voluntary simplicity behaviors. Philosophical perspective contributed four percent of the variance (p = .000). Income adequacy had a negative relationship with voluntary simplicity participation but contributed only an additional 0.8 percent to the variance (p = .022). Reported skills was the strongest predictor accounting for a bivariate contribution of 10.9 percent and a multivariate 12.0 percent of the variance (p = .000). Average household education and perception of the ability to afford a conservation device also had significant contribution to the predictive model. In addition, the practice of voluntary simplicity behaviors explained 3.1 percent of the variance to the measure of personal control (p = .000).