Index

Welcome to the study!

In this study, you will be exposed to the fundamentals of sustainable energy. No prior knowledge is required to perform this task. You will start by answering a short quiz about this topic, then watch a video about it, and finally answer a second quiz about this same topic.

The video provided to you will be approximately 1 hour long, but you will ONLY have 20 minutes to watch it. Please use the fast-forward, rewind, pause, and play buttons to navigate the video and maximize your learning experience.

Your final reward for participating in this study consists of two parts:

(a) a guaranteed fixed reward of $\$5.5$;

(b) a bonus payment of $\$0.5$ for each correct answer in the second quiz (15 questions);

For example, if you answer 10 questions correctly in the second quiz (out of the 15 questions featured in this quiz), you will be paid $\$5.5+10\times\$0.5=\$10.5$! We will offer you the bonus payment on prolific within one week after the study.

Next, you need to enter full-screen mode, and you are required to keep full-screen mode for the duration of this task. If you abandon full-screen mode before completing your task, we will NOT record your answers, and your payment will NOT be due. Likewise, you are required NOT to launch new browsing tabs, windows, other browsers, or any other applications for the duration of this task. If you do so before your task is complete, we will NOT record your answers, and your payment will NOT be due.

You must offer your Prolific ID in full-screen mode to record your responses. Please keep a copy of your Prolific ID on hand now and type it after entering the full-screen mode. Switching browser tabs to check your Prolific ID after entering the full-screen mode will lead to an invalid record.

Please enter full-screen mode and then click on the arrow to the next screen to proceed.

Please read our consent form before proceeding.

Consent Form

After reading, please answer the following questions:

I am age 18 or older

I have read and understand the information in the consent form.

I want to participate in this research and continue with the task.

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Pre test

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Please adjust your camera to target your face, when you are ready, click play

Note: You can watch the video only ONCE, so please use play, pause, fast forward and rewind to navigate the video to learn as much as you can about motion and kinetics. Scroll over the horizontal bar at the bottom of the video window to fast forward and rewind. You have at most 20 minutes to watch this video.

1. What type of renewable source includes plants like Miscanthus grown specifically for energy?

(A) Concentrating Solar Power (B) Energy crops (C) Tidal Barrages (D) Hydroelectricity

2. Which term refers to measuring the net release of carbon for an individual or project?

(A) Carbon footprint (B) Carbon meltdown (C) Carbon doping (D) Carbon offset

3. What specific gas from burning fossil fuels is contributing to the 'geoengineering experiment'

(A) Methane (B) Nitrous Oxide (C) Carbon dioxide (D) Wind turbines

4. What fundamental challenge does the variability of energy demand such as daily electricity fluctuations and seasonal heating requirements pose for the energy system?

(A) Running out of fuel sources (B) Difficulty building power lines (C) Need to match fluctuating supply and demand (D) Cost of reading meters

5. What is a primary goal for improving battery technology in renewable energy systems?

(A) Shortening battery life (B) Reducing safety standards (C) Decreasing voltage output (D) Cheaper and lighter batteries/storage

6. Which renewable source relies on the movement of air to generate power?

(A) Geothermal (B) Wind turbines (C) Hydroelectric dams (D) Solar collectors

7. What is the main reason for transitioning away from fossil fuels?

(A) Higher cost of extraction (B) Abundance of fossil reserves (C) Reduction of carbon emissions (D) Simpler transportation

8. What technology involves pumping heat out of the ground to heat buildings more efficiently?

(A) Ground source heat pumps (B) Traditional gas boilers (C) Solar water heaters (D) Wind turbines

9. What is the primary advantage of the nuclear station compared to wind farms?

(A) It produces zero waste. (B) It blends in better visually with the countryside. (C) It is much cheaper to build than wind farms. (D) It has higher power density

10. Which process uses sunlight to generate electrical energy directly from semiconductors?

(A) Photosynthesis (B) Aerodynamic lift (C) Evaporation (D) Photovoltaic effect

11. What is frequently mentioned as a storage solution to balance renewable power supply?

(A) Coal reserves (B) Pumped hydro (C) Natural gas pipelines (D) Direct emissions capture

12. Which approach involves capturing CO₂ directly from industrial sources for storage?

(A) Carbon offset trading (B) Carbon capture and storage (C) Carbon doping (D) Carbon lubrication

13. What challenge arises with large-scale integration of renewables on the grid?

(A) Increased $CO_2$ output (B) Lack of interest from governments (C) Endless supply of wind (D) Load balancing and energy storage

14. Which factor often affects public acceptance of wind farms?

(A) No electricity output (B) Single location requirements (C) High $CO_2$ emissions (D) Visual impact and noise

15. Which global initiative focuses on limiting temperature rise and reducing greenhouse gases?

(A) Mars colonization (B) Kyoto Water Treaty (C) Paris Agreement (D) Antarctic Protocol

What is your age?

$18-24$ $25-34$ $35-44$ $44-54$ $over$ $55$

What is your gender?

$Male$ $Female$ $Other$

what is your marital status?

$Single(never $ $married)$ $Married$ $Separated$ $Widowed$ $Divorced$

What is the highest level of schooling that you have completed?

$High$ $school$ $degree$ $or$ $equivalent$ $Some$ $college$ $but$ $no$ $degree$ $Associate$ $degree$ $Bachelor's$ $degree$ $(e.g.$ $BA,$ $BS)$ $Master's$ $degree$ $(e.g.$ $MA,$ $MS,MEd)$ $Doctorate$ $(e.g.$ $PhD,$ $EdD)$ $Other(please$ $specify):$

what is your annual household income?

$Less$ $than$ $\$25,000$ $\$25,000$ $to$ $\$50,000$ $\$50,000$ $to$ $\$100,000$ $\$100,000$ $to$ $\$150,000$ $\$150,000$ $to$ $\$200,000$ $More$ $than$ $\$200,000$ $Prefer$ $not$ $to$ $say$

What is your current employment status?

$Employed$ $full-time$ $(40+$ $hours$ $per$ $week)$ $Employed$ $part-time$ $(less$ $than$ $40$ $hours$ $per$ $week)$ $Unemployed$ $(currently$ $looking$ $for$ $work)$ $Unemployed$ $(not$ $currently$ $looking$ $for$ $work)$ $Student$ $Retired$ $Self-employed$ $Unable$ $to$ $work$

In which industry do you work?

Which region of the country do you live in?

$Midwest$ $-IA,$ $IL,$ $IN,$ $KS,$ $MI,$ $MN,$ $MO,$ $ND,$ $NE,$ $OH,$ $SD,$ $WI$ $Northeast$ $-$ $CT,$ $DC,$ $DE,$ $MA,$ $MD,$ $ME,$ $NH,$ $NJ,$ $NY,$ $PA,$ $RI,$ $VT$ $Southeast$ $-$ $AL,$ $AR,$ $FL,$ $GA,$ $KY,$ $LA,$ $MS,$ $NC,$ $SC,$ $TN,$ $VA,$ $WV$ $Southwest$ $-$ $AZ,$ $NM,$ $OK,$ $TX$ $West$ $-$ $AK,$ $CA,$ $CO,$ $HI,$ $ID,$ $MT,$ $NV,$ $OR,$ $UT,$ $WA,$ $WY$

How many child(children) do you have?