Fuelling hydrogen futures? A trust-based model of social acceptance

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorGordon, Joel A.
dc.contributor.authorBalta-Ozkan, Nazmiye
dc.contributor.authorHaq, Anwar U. l.
dc.contributor.authorNabavi, Seyed Ali
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-11T10:34:46Z
dc.date.available2025-04-11T10:34:46Z
dc.date.freetoread2025-04-11
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.pubOnline2025-04-02
dc.descriptionThe data supporting this article have been included as part of the ESI. Survey data is available at the Cranfield Online Research Data (CORD) Repository: https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/items/aa4d197c-fa88-4acb-9b84-d67a5acbd574
dc.description.abstractPublic trust plays a fundamental role in shaping national energy policies in democratic countries, as exemplified by nuclear phase-out in Germany following the Fukushima accident. While trust dynamics have been explored in different contexts of the energy transition, few studies have attempted to quantify the influence of public trust in shaping social acceptance and adoption potential. Moreover, the interaction between public trust and perceived community benefits remains underexplored in the literature, despite the relevance of each factor to facilitating social acceptance and technology uptake. In response, this quantitative analysis closes a parallel research gap by examining the antecedents of public trust and perceived community benefits in the context of deploying hydrogen heating and cooking appliances across parts of the UK housing stock. Drawing on results from a nationally representative online survey (N = 1845), the study advances insights on the consumer perspective of transitioning to ‘hydrogen homes’, which emerged as a topical and controversial aspect of UK energy policy in recent years. Partial least squares structural equation modelling and necessary condition analysis are undertaken to assess the predictive capabilities of a trust-based model, which incorporates aspects of institutional, organisational, interpersonal, epistemic, and social trust. Regarding sufficiency-based logic, social trust is the most influential predictor of public trust, whereas trust in product and service quality corresponds to the most important necessary condition for enabling public trust. Nevertheless, trust in the government, energy sector, and entities involved in research & development are needed to facilitate and strengthen public trust. Overall, this study enriches scholarly understanding of how public trust may shape prospects for trialling novel low-carbon technologies, highlights the need for segment-specific consumer engagement, and advances scholarly understanding of the innovation-decision process in the context of net-zero pathways. As policymakers approach critical decisions on the portfolio of technologies needed to support residential decarbonisation, public trust will prove fundamental to fuelling hydrogen-based energy futures.
dc.description.journalNameSustainable Energy & Fuels
dc.description.sponsorshipEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council|EP/T518104/1
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research was supported by the UK Research and Innovation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UKRI-EPSRC) Grant EP/T518104/1, and sponsored by Cadent Gas Ltd.
dc.format.extentpp. xx-xx
dc.identifier.citationGordon JA, Balta-Ozkan N, Haq AU, Nabavi SA. (2025) Fuelling hydrogen futures? A trust-based model of social acceptance. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, Available online 2 April 2025
dc.identifier.eissn2398-4902
dc.identifier.elementsID672587
dc.identifier.issn2398-4902
dc.identifier.issueNoahead-of-print
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1039/d4se01615g
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/23745
dc.identifier.volumeNoahead-of-print
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherRoyal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
dc.publisher.urihttps://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/se/d4se01615g
dc.relation.isreferencedbyhttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/items/aa4d197c-fa88-4acb-9b84-d67a5acbd574
dc.rightsAttribution 3.0 Unporteden
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
dc.subject34 Chemical Sciences
dc.subject3406 Physical Chemistry
dc.subject40 Engineering
dc.subject4004 Chemical Engineering
dc.subject4008 Electrical Engineering
dc.subject3406 Physical chemistry
dc.subject4004 Chemical engineering
dc.subject4008 Electrical engineering
dc.titleFuelling hydrogen futures? A trust-based model of social acceptance
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2025-03-26

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Fuelling_hydrogen_futures-2025.pdf
Size:
4.06 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.63 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Staff publications (AEPe)