1. “Hydrogen acceptance in the transition phase (HYACINTH)”
Public opinion and stakeholder expectations: a quick look at some of the results of the EU project
“Hydrogen acceptance in the transition phase (HYACINTH)”
Prof Paul Upham, Leuphana University Lüneburg

2. Co-authors / researchers: Christian Oltra, Roser Sala, Monica Lores, Elisabeth Dütschke, Uta Schneider (& Paula Bögel and Paul Wiemann)
of Leeds and Leuphana

3. PROJECT DETAILS
Project Title: “Hydrogen acceptance in the transition phase (HYACINTH)”
Call: FCH-JU
Period Time: September 2014 – May 2017
Funding Agency: Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

4. Semi-structured interviews
HYACINTH project
PUBLIC
Public awareness and acceptance of FCH technologies across Europe: 
STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholder acceptance of FCH technologies across Europe:
Survey
1000 participants
7 European countries
Survey
333 participants
5 European countries
Semi-structured interviews
145 participants
5 European countries
Social Acceptance Management Toolbox (SAMT):
To help promoters and decision makers integrate issues related to social acceptance into their developments

5. PUBLIC SURVEY countries
PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE STUDY
Belgium
France
Germany
Norway
Slovenia
Spain
United Kingdom
_____________
7.148 participants (> 1.000
per country)

6. PUBLIC SURVEY - design of the questionnaire
Evaluation of problems
Introduction to the study
Awareness and uninformed evaluation of HFC technologies
Background information on HFC technologies
Background information on residential HFCs
Background information on HFC vehicles
Awareness, emotions, perceived costs and benefits
Evaluation of consequences
Preference, acceptance and support
Other questions: trust, pro-environmental self-identity, engagement with technological issues and life-styles
500 respondents
Figure 1. Summary of the design of the questionnaire

7. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW countries
STAKEHOLDER ACCEPTANCE STUDY - Qualitative
France
Germany
Slovenia
Spain
United Kingdom
_____________
145 interviews
SOBREN PAÏSOS: NORUEGA, BÈLGICA

8. Acceptance of home HFCs
PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS
Acceptance of home HFCs
Total sample: “All else equal (price, comfort, maintenance cost, etc.), I would be happy to have an hydrogen fuel cell unit in my home in future”.

9. PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS
Acceptance of HFCEVs
Total sample: “All else equal (cost, range, etc.), I would like to purchase an hydrogen fuel cell car in the future “

10. PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS
Respondents’ reasons for not being willing to buy a home HFC (multi-response question)
Safety concerns
Sub-sample: as % of those respondents who consider themselves very unlikely to purchase

11. PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS
Respondents’ reasons for not being willing to buy an HFCEV (multi-response qu)
Sub-sample: % of those respondents who consider themselves very unlikely to purchase an HFCEV

12. Limited socio-demographic differences between supporters and opponents
PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS
Limited socio-demographic differences between supporters and opponents
Opponents
(%)
Supporters
Gender
Male
47* 52
Female 53 48
Total
100%
Age
18-34
19* 28
35-44 17 19
45-54 18
55+ 46 36
*the difference is significant (p value <0.05)

13. PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS
Differences between supporters and opponents are primarily in terms of prior attitudes and habits
*the difference is significant (p value <0.05)

14. PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS
Change from uninformed evaluation to informed evaluation for supporters, neutrals and opponents (mean, seven countries)
*the difference is significant (p value <0.05)

15. public opinion of hFcevs: Summary path analysis
Perceived safety is one factor in here

16. sociology of Expectations
When technologies or scientific capabilities do not yet exist, or are primarily at a demonstration stage, advocates generally solicit support on grounds that lie beyond evidence of technical progress.
In the STS / innovation literature, such grounds are theorised as technological expectations, i.e. ‘real-time representations of future technological situations and capabilities’ (Borup et al. 2006).  
Expectations are viewed as playing a performative role: widely shared expectations attract investment, strengthen functional networks and are thus more likely to become a reality

17. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS - RESULTS
Hydrogen supply and use: expectations (count)

18. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS - RESULTS
Stationary applications: expectations (within-country %)

19. summary
The Hyacinth project has undertaken: nationally representative questionnaire surveys of the public in 7 EU countries; H2 stakeholder surveys and 145 stakeholder interviews in 5 EU countries
Analytic objects: H2 itself; HFCs for heat & power; HFCEVs
The public surveys used a combination of informed choice questionnaire and tested variables previously known as likely to help build a predictive model of acceptance
The stakeholder research focused on perceived strengths, weaknesses & expectations
This presentation gives only a brief insight into some of the results
Safety concerns are held by the publics but they are not important for those least favourably disposed
There is substantial variation in stakeholder perceptions and optimism across countries, associated with differing levels of government investment in R&D programmes
Germany and Spain are at opposite poles in this regard
If the policy conditions were to become more supportive, stakeholders expect that the public support would be there
Currently the Hyacinth public survey evidence supports this view

20. HYACINTH Hydrogen Acceptance in the Transition Phase
Support & Coordinated Action
This project has received funding from the
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH-JU) under grant agreement Nº