73% of Americans Support Clean Energy Transition, While U.S. Energy Sector’s Reputation Rises, Shows New Report from Caliber

Stakeholder intelligence company releases 2023 U.S. Energy Reputation Report, which shows a broad reputational improvement across sector

/EIN News/ -- Copenhagen, Denmark, Oct. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caliber, a stakeholder intelligence company, today announced the release of its 2023 U.S. Energy Reputation Report. The report, which provides a snapshot of how U.S. energy companies are perceived, surveyed 5,600 consumer respondents between July 31 and Aug. 28, 2023. The report compares results to Caliber’s 2021 survey, and includes 2,585 ratings of 34 companies.

Caliber’s report shows that 73% of Americans support the transition to clean energy – including almost two-thirds of Republicans (62%). It also reveals demographic divides: for example, 86% of high-income individuals support the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, compared to 64% of low-income individuals.

The report also shows broad awareness of the Biden administration’s clean energy plan: 70% of Americans have heard of the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program. However, while 84% of men are aware of it, only 56% of women are.

In addition, while most Republican respondents support the clean energy transition, a smaller proportion of those who are aware of Biden’s EIR program favor it, compared to Democrats. Specifically, 87% of Democrats support the clean energy transition, compared to 62% of Republicans – but while 88% of Democrats who are aware of the EIR program support it, only 51% of Republicans who are aware of it do.

“This shows that U.S. energy companies need to become proactive facilitators of the clean energy transition and the EIR program by participating in the public debate and making the conversation relevant to their customers,” said Shahar Silbershatz, CEO of Caliber. “Energy companies have an important role in helping to educate people about the pros and cons of the program, in an apolitical manner, and facilitating better understanding and acceptance of it.”

Caliber’s report also shows that the reputation of the U.S. energy sector has improved since 2021. Trust & Like Scores – which is how Caliber measures the strength of a company’s brand and reputation – are, on average, four points higher than they were two years ago across the two main subsectors (electricity and oil & gas). In particular, while the average Trust & Like Score for U.S. electricity companies is a relatively high 73 (out of 100), oil & gas companies get 66, a relatively average score. At the same time, 38% of Americans say they perceive the sector as a whole as better than it was before the global energy crisis began in 2021, compared to 24% who perceive the sector as worse.

Caliber’s report reveals very different perceptions of the two main subsectors. While many Americans – including middle and high-income individuals – rate electricity companies higher than those in oil & gas, low-income individuals rate oil & gas companies higher. This demographic split may be a reflection of the schism between those who support the clean energy transition and “net zero” and those who are more concerned about the cost of living and keeping energy prices low. Additionally, electricity companies are rated much higher than oil & gas companies on brand and reputation attributes such as Integrity, Inspiration and Relevance.

“The data clearly shows that U.S. energy companies need to differentiate their communication,” said Søren Holm, senior advisor at Caliber. “For those in the oil & gas sector, it’s about communicating their relevance and showing they are part of the energy transition. For electricity companies, it’s about trying to appeal to low-income individuals by addressing concerns related to cost-of-living, while at the same time communicating about their efforts to lower carbon emissions.”

To view the U.S. report, click here. To view Caliber’s full global report, click here.

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About the report
The report is based on insights gathered from stakeholders in the U.S. energy sector in 2023. Caliber surveyed 5,600 consumer respondents between July 31 and August 28. The data also includes 2,585 ratings of 34 companies and data from Caliber’s ongoing tracking of stakeholder perceptions of U.S. energy companies between January 1 and August 28. The respondents are randomly selected, and the sample is representative of the national population in terms of gender, region and age within the age range of 18 to 75. The representative nature of the sample in this study is achieved solely by setting demographic quotas. There is no weighting of raw data or results.

About Caliber
Caliber is a stakeholder intelligence company. It provides businesses with actionable intelligence on brand and reputation that helps them understand their audience, communicate more effectively, and build trust. Caliber created the world’s only real-time, customizable stakeholder tracking platform, which shows companies what relevant stakeholders think and how they’re likely to behave – anytime, anywhere. To learn more, visit www.groupcaliber.com.

PRESS CONTACT INFORMATION

Matter Communications
Sean McLean
caliber@matternow.com

Caliber
James Clasper
james@groupcaliber.com