Energy myth two-the public is well informed about energy

Abstract

The American public is highly educated. About 25% of Americans have bachelor's degrees (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005a). In some cities like Seattle and San Francisco 51% of the population over the age of 25 have bachelor's degrees (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005b). Additionally, more than 80% of American youth enroll in some form of tertiary education within 5 years of leaving high school (UNESCO, 1998). As an educated nation, we expect people to be well informed about current events and issues facing their communities, especially since information arrives easily into households and businesses via the Internet. Unfortunately, the public is not well informed about a number of issues that face contemporary society like energy and the environment (NEETF and Roper, 2002; NEETF, 2005). Yet because information is so readily available and accessible via search engines and because we are an educated nation, it is tempting to assume that the public is well-informed. Unfortunately, availability of information does not directly translate into increased public understanding. Other factors such as personal motivation greatly affect individuals' willingness to learn and their awareness and knowledge (Bigge and Hunt, 1980). Furthermore, the sheer quantity of information available to the public is growing so rapidly that no one can be a global scholar. Lyman and Varian published a study How Much Information? 2000 that concluded: Costa (2006, p. 62) states, "We now have more information than the collective minds in science can understand." Marshall and Tucker (1992, p. xiii) contend, "The future now belongs to societies that organize themselves for learning." The availability of information is important to community-based decision making. Such availability has underpinned the growing popularity of public participation in governmental planning over the last decades.