Charting the course: America's energy crossroads and the quest for a sustainable future

Abstract

Energy and environment views of over 10,000 American respondents are captured in a complex survey created by the Pew Research Center (PRC). This paper is based on data collected during a panel wave that took place in May 2022. The survey aims to capture the nuanced perspectives of a nationally representative group of U.S. adults, with particular attention to ensuring participation from traditionally underrepresented or hard-to-reach demographics. To analyze the responses, we cluster raw and encoded data and identify the main groups of respondents and their characteristics. Three main clusters are identified using K-means (silhouette score of .78) with a larger cluster “Mainstream Respondents” that shows moderate views on energy and environmental issues. The second cluster “Outliers or Niche Group” is the smallest cluster representing respondents with unique or extreme views, high income or education levels or specific demographic attributes that set them apart from the majority. The third cluster “Specific Interest Group” has moderate size and characteristics that are distinct but not as extreme as the second cluster. On the other hand, two more balanced clusters (4265/6017) are obtained with K-modes (Davies–Bouldin Index 2.61) using the unencoded data: “Traditional Energy Advocates” highlights the cluster's preference for traditional energy sources over alternative or renewable energy sources (RES), and “Sustainable Future Supporters” emphasizes the cluster's support for environmental sustainability and RES. These names aim to succinctly capture the essence of each cluster's predominant attitudes toward energy and environmental issues, reflecting their preferences and priorities. The results are significant for understanding trends within the U.S. population, informing policymakers and contributing to academic research.