How HE knowledge, media usage affect opinions regarding HE global standards harmonization --potential innovators v.s. the common public

Abstract

The global harmonization of Regulations, Codes and Standards (RCS) for Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and related technologies is an important issue on advancing Hydrogen Energy(HE) safety and speeding up the acceptance of HE. What are people's opinions about RCS? How do they learn about them? What is the difference in opinions between potential innovators and common people?

According to innovation diffusion research, the innovators, opinion leaders, and diffusion agents play vital roles in promoting the acceptance of innovation. The innovators must be able to cope with the high degree of uncertainty about an innovation and have the ability to understand and apply complex technical knowledge. Based on consumer behavior studies, knowledge and understanding influence consumer behavior. Prior knowledge is essential for two levels of consumer understanding: categorization and comprehension.

The purpose of this research is investigating how HE innovators' demographics, knowledge about hydrogen energy, media usage, and their familiarity with new energy technology affect their opinions about RCS. On the other hand, regarding the HE safety issue, how do new energy innovators' opinions different from the common public?

In order to achieve the purposes listed above, the researchers need to locate and contact the potential innovators and opinion leaders in this field (expert sample) and collect a common public sample to compare opinions. Thus the researchers cooperated with UNIDO-ICHET and the Global Cooperation Group (GCG) to launch this survey.

The questionnaire of this poll was designed in June 2006. This cross-discipline online survey has been formally launched since Aug 2006 and will continue to Dec 2006. The expected result of this survey is to collect 1000 HE innovators' and common people's information. Then the data collected from HE potential innovators sample and the common public sample will be analyzed by the researchers using SPSS statistics software.