On the crossroad – renewable energy sources or oil shale? Understanding patterns of social attitudes in Jordan

Energy policy in Jordan is a contested issue as several options for deployment of technologies exist. Oil shale and renewable energy sources are two energy generation technologies which are currently being intensively considered by the Jordanian energy policy process and there are oil shale and renewable energy projects which are currently in operation, in planning or in construction. Each of these options relates to various perceptions of risks and bene fi ts of a given technology and has its opponents and supporters. Understanding of how inhabitants of communities where infrastructure is planned perceive these energy generation technologies is crucial as infrastructure will impact the life of the community and the feedback from the community can improve the deployment of infrastructure. The major focus of this paper is on attitudes of local communities where oil shale and renewable energies are in operation. To identify of how various environmental, technical, social and environmental factors in fl uence attitudes including awareness and perceptions of these two energy generation technologies we conducted large scale surveys in four different communities of Jordan. Two of these communities (Ma ’ an and Ta fi leh) had renewable energy projects and other two communities (Lajoun and Attarat) had projects on oil shale extraction and power generation.