Knight Center research director, Bruno Takahashi, and Ph.D students Ran Duan and Anthony Van Witsen, have published a new study in the journal Social Science Quarterly. The study titled “Hispanics’ behavioral intentions towards energy conservation: The role of socio-demographic, informational, and attitudinal variables” uses survey data from the University of Texas at Austin to examine the factors that influence energy related behaviors among Hispanics in the US.
The results show that Hispanics in the West report higher levels of intention to save energy than those in any other regions of the country. On the other hand, there is no clear pattern indicating that intentions to save energy were linked to Hispanics’ ethnic groups such as Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, or Cubans. Other factors related to energy-related behavioral intentions include information dissemination, environmental concern, and environmental beliefs.
This study was designed as a challenge to the dominant view that Hispanics in the US are a homogeneous group when it comes to environmental beliefs and behaviors. The study is part of a line of research looking at information sources used by minorities – including the news media- that the Knight Center research team is pursuing.