Renewable Energy and Environmental Awareness and Opinions: A Survey of University Students in Canada, Romania, and Turkey

Abstract

To explore the opinions and the level of awareness of university students on renewable energy and environment issues in the fields of engineering and economics/business in Canada, Romania, and Turkey, surveys were conducted in several universities in these three countries. The survey results that are presented and discussed here indicate that while there are differences between the three groups, they are small and can be explained by cultural and socioeconomic factors. A larger study with an expanded survey questionnaire applied to a wider spectrum of groups in a larger set of countries would be useful to identify differences and educational needs.

Keywords:

• Renewable energy awareness and opinion
• Environmental awareness and opinion

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Drs. M. Cross, A. S. Fung, D. Hansen, T. Hubbard, J. Gonzalez-Cueto in Canada; Drs. S. Dascalescu, I. Mihu, A. Nita, in Romania; and E., Aytore, M. Kaya, G. Atli, O. Kapucu in Turkey in the administration of the surveys. Special thanks are due for Mr. Huseyin Bas of Zeta for processing part of the questionnaires. V. I. Ugursal is grateful to the Government of Canada for the Research Grant in Lieu of Salary.

Notes

¹In Canada, only English was used because the survey was conducted in Ontario and Nova Scotia, both English speaking provinces.