Financial Knowledge’s Role in Portuguese Energy Literacy

• Main Authors: Ana Martins, Mara Madaleno, Marta Ferreira Dias
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: energy-related knowledge; financial knowledge; attitude; behavior; Portuguese energy literacy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/13/3412

Energy literacy is a concept which is not widely known by the public; however, it has captured the attention of several researchers in recent years. Concerning the assessment of energy and financial knowledge and people’s attitudes, intentions and behavior, it provides a global view of people’s knowledge, feelings, concerns and habits related to energy usage. Since energy is such an important resource in our daily lives, we can hardly imagine living without it. Moreover, considering that its production often requires the use of limited resources and leads to the worsening of already existing environmental problems, finding ways to alert consumers to the efficient management of their consumption is an urgent need. Therefore, in this article, we aimed to evaluate energy literacy levels, considering all the dimensions mentioned above, and search for the determinants of these levels. As an added novelty, we also aimed to determine the role of financial knowledge on energy literacy dimensions. After distributing a questionnaire to the university community in Portugal, we found good levels of energy literacy, despite moderate levels of energy and financial knowledge. Gender seems to be a determinant of all energy literacy dimensions, and financial knowledge has a positive and significant impact on energy knowledge.