Is the Energy Crisis Real?

Conservation is one component of the mixed strategy to meet future energy needs that offers immediate opportunities. GAO sought to determine public opinion on the overall energy situation since 1977 and review the research on what motivates people to conserve. Specific issues were: public awareness or perception of the energy situation, factors which persuade or motivate the public to conserve, and conservation measures already taken. Despite the verbal enthusiasm for conservation, there is a wide variation between what people say and what they actually do to save energy. Energy is overshadowed in consideration as the Nation's major problem by the economy, inflation, and unemployment. The public does not recognize the relationship between the energy situation and the economy. It doubts that the oil shortage stemmed from a genuine depletion of resources, but it believes that the gasoline shortage was deliberately brought about by the oil companies. The American people blame the oil companies and the Middle East oil-producing countries for the oil shortage. Complacency about the oil shortage may rest in America's faith that technological discoveries will solve the problem. Consumers will conserve only if they know why they should, if the need is genuine, and if the burden is felt equally. Conservation objectives conflict with objectives of comfort and convenience. Money is the most effective incentive to conserve. State and local government units, local organizations, consumer and environmental groups, and universities are considered by the public to be more reliable sources of information on the energy crisis than the Federal Government or large oil companies. Mass media attempts to encourage the public to conserve have had little or no influence on behavior. The majority of the public have taken action to conserve energy in their homes, but it is uncertain whether new energy habits will be maintained over time. It is unknown if people are aware of the whole range of energy conservation options available to them. Apparently, a large proportion is not aware of the life-cycle cost; that is, comparing the initial cost to long-term energy savings.