SILCI researcher Hazel Pettifor recently presented the results from a major study to the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI) in Cambridge. In March 2018, the SILCI team ran a series of workshops with over 65 residents of Norwich. These focussed on gaining an understanding of the important attributes of low carbon innovations that appealed to potential consumers. This work is part of a wider program to explore the mechanisms that encourage consumer adoption. Discussion within the presentation raised some key issues including the importance of behavioural norms, the heterogeneity of consumer preferences, and the appeal of non-technical features (such as symbolism and aesthetics).
