What causes energy and transport poverty in Ireland? Analysing demographic, economic, and social dynamics, and policy implications

TY - JOUR

T1 - What causes energy and transport poverty in Ireland? Analysing demographic, economic, and social dynamics, and policy implications

AU - Lowans, Christopher

AU - Foley, Aoife

AU - Del Rio, Dylan Furszyfer

AU - Caulfield, Brian

AU - Sovacool, Benjamin K.

AU - Griffiths, Steven

AU - Rooney, David

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors

PY - 2023/1

Y1 - 2023/1

N2 - Energy and transport poverty have been postulated as conditions linked by overlapping causal factors such as structural economic inequality or housing stock and affecting overlapping demographics such as family size or income. The strength of the overlap of these conditions and their causal mechanisms has not been assessed across Ireland prior to this study. We apply and analyse existing and novel energy and transport poverty metrics in a survey of 1564 participants across Ireland and consider results from expenditure and consensual data examining causal mechanisms and correlations. We find that energy and transport poverty rates are broadly similar across Ireland at approximately 14% for energy poverty and 18% for transport poverty using the half-median metric, while participant knowledge of causal factors, such as lack of domestic energy efficiency and perceived desirability of potential poverty solutions, such as increased public transport provision, are low. Furthermore, we find that self-reported data concerning energy and transport expenditures and preferences do not correspond to expected outcomes. We thus conclude that ever refined targeting of individuals and households for support measures is not optimal for either decarbonisation or alleviation of energy and transport poverty conditions and suggest some salient policy implications.

AB - Energy and transport poverty have been postulated as conditions linked by overlapping causal factors such as structural economic inequality or housing stock and affecting overlapping demographics such as family size or income. The strength of the overlap of these conditions and their causal mechanisms has not been assessed across Ireland prior to this study. We apply and analyse existing and novel energy and transport poverty metrics in a survey of 1564 participants across Ireland and consider results from expenditure and consensual data examining causal mechanisms and correlations. We find that energy and transport poverty rates are broadly similar across Ireland at approximately 14% for energy poverty and 18% for transport poverty using the half-median metric, while participant knowledge of causal factors, such as lack of domestic energy efficiency and perceived desirability of potential poverty solutions, such as increased public transport provision, are low. Furthermore, we find that self-reported data concerning energy and transport expenditures and preferences do not correspond to expected outcomes. We thus conclude that ever refined targeting of individuals and households for support measures is not optimal for either decarbonisation or alleviation of energy and transport poverty conditions and suggest some salient policy implications.

KW - Covid-19

KW - Energy poverty

KW - Ireland

KW - Nationally representative survey

KW - Transport poverty

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85141243194&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113313

DO - 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113313

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85141243194

SN - 0301-4215

VL - 172

JO - Energy Policy

JF - Energy Policy

M1 - 113313

ER -