Exploring the Epic Smart Meter Survey, 2016
Joshua G. Mausolf
June 27, 2017
Introduction
Data from this project comes from the Epic Smart Meter Survey, 2016 conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago. The survey asks Chicago residents a variety of questions about their energy consumption. In this report, we look at their thoughts of energy use and knowledge, ownership, and opinion of smart meters as well as their trust of ComEd.
Race and South Side
The following slides show the interaction of race/ethnicity and living on the South Side of Chicago with respect to four survey questions, (1) how much thought they give to saving energy at home, (2) whether they have heard of (3) or have a smart meter, and (4) their opinion of smart meters.
Thought to Energy Use
Regarding thoughts on energy use, the most reliable finding is that those living on the South Side of Chicago are generally more cognizant of their energy use than their racial-ethnic peers outside of the South Side, with the exception of the other race group.
Heard of Smart Meters
On both the south side and other sections of Chicago, non-Hispanic whites have the most awareness of smart meters, followed by non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and other races.
Have Smart Meters
Slightly different results emerge when looking at who has a smart meter, and here there is a difference based on geographic location. Non-Hispanic whites on the south side of Chicago, were mostly likely to have smart meters, followed very closely by south-side Hispanics. Outside of the south side, Hispanics were most likely to have smart meters followed by other races and whites.
Non-Hispanic blacks were least likely to have a smart meter outside of the south side, and were third least likely to have them on the south side.
Opinion on Smart Meters
Regarding opinion on smart meters, non-Hispanic whites, regardless of South Side status, hold higher opinions of smart meters on balance than their racial-ethnic peers on the South Side and outside the South Side, respectively. While South Side blacks have higher opinions of smart meters than blacks living outside the South Side, Hispanics in either region have a higher opinion of smart meters than blacks in either region.
Trust of ComEd
In contrast to opinions on Smart Meters, we see less of a difference regarding trust of ComEd by geographic location. Still, apparent racial-ethnic discrepancies appear. In particular, non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to “not at all” trust ComEd, particularly living outside the South Side. On the South Side, blacks were still least trustful of ComEd compared to other racial groups. Although South Side Hispanics were more likely to only slightly trust ComEd compared to blacks.
Race and Income
The following slides show the interaction of race/ethnicity and household income group with respect to four survey questions, (1) how much thought they give to saving energy at home, (2) whether they have heard of (3) or have a smart meter, and (4) their opinion of smart meters.
Thought to Energy Use
Most conscientious among the lower income group, non-Hispanic whites give more thought to energy use than more affluent whites or any other racial-income group. Low income blacks and Hispanics gave the least thought to energy use, and middle income blacks gave the most attention. Upper-income Hispanics gave more thought to energy use than lower or middle income Hispanics.
Heard of Smart Meters
There are clear racial-income differences to knowledge of smart meters. At each income group, non-Hispanic whites have more knowledge than non-Hispanic blacks or Hispanics in the same income category.
Have Smart Meters
Generally, lower-income households were more likely to have smart meters. In each income group, blacks were least likely to have smart meters.
Opinion on Smart Meters
Surprisingly, while non-Hispanic whites at each income level are more likely to both know of and have a smart meter than other racial/ethnic groups, their opinion of smart meters varies greatly by income level.
Whereas low income non-Hispanic whites are more likely to know of and have smart meters, they have the lowest opinion of them compared to other low-income racial-ethnic groups. Conversely, middle and high income non-Hispanic whites, view smart meters more favorable than other groups.
Trust of ComEd
Considering the relationship between trust of ComEd versus household income and race, we can see that among the lower income bracket, non-Hispanic whites were most likely to “not at all” or only “slightly” trust ComEd. Low-income Hispanics were a mixed group. They were second most likely to only “slightly” trust ComEd but also least likely to “not at all” trust ComEd. Similarly, they were most likely to “completely” or “very much” trust ComEd. Non-Hispanic blacks, conversely were just as likely to “not at all” trust ComEd was whites.
Once we consider middle and upper-income brackets, the picture clarifies. Among middle income and especially upper income groups, non-Hispanic blacks were most likely to “not at all” trust ComEd. Upper and middle income Hispanics were less likely to distrust ComEd and had the highest markers of trust in the upper-income bracket.
Race and Homeowner
The following slides show the interaction of race/ethnicity and homeownership status with respect to four survey questions, (1) how much thought they give to saving energy at home, (2) whether they have heard of (3) or have a smart meter, and (4) their opinion of smart meters.
Thought to Energy Use
Among either owners or renters, non-Hispanic blacks were more energy conscientious than whites or Hispanics.
Heard of Smart Meters
Generally, owners were more likely to have heard of a smart meter.
Have Smart Meters
Homeowners were also more likely to own a smart meter in their house than renters.
Opinion on Smart Meters
Accordingly, we can see generally higher opinions of smart meters among homeowners than among renters. Non-Hispanic whites, followed by Hispanics had the highest opinion of smart meters compared to other races in their same homeowner versus renter category.
Opinion of Smart Meters by Homeownership and Having a Smart Meter
Removing the racial dimension, how does opinion of smart meters among homeowners vary by actually having a smart meter? We can see that homeowners who have a smart meter held higher opinions of smart meters than owners without a smart meter. Collectively, owners held higher assessments of smart meters. An interesting facet is with renters. Renters with a smart meter in the residence held slightly higher opinions of smart meters than owners with smart meters and considerably higher opinions of smart meters than renters without smart meter exposure.
Trust of ComEd
Examining trust of ComEd by homeownership and race, compared to non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics, blacks were again most likely to “not at all” trust ComEd, for both homeowners and renters. Black homeowners similarly had the lowest incidence of “very much” or “completely” trusting ComEd compared to any other racial-homeownership group. In general, there is more polarization of trust among homeowners. Homeowners were more likely to have either low or high trust assessments of ComEd whereas renters are more neutral in their opinion.
Expanding on Trust of ComEd
We have seen by examining trust of ComEd by race in combination with residence on the South Side of Chicago, Income, and Homeownership. A fairly consistent finding is that non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to “not at all” trust ComEd, and this association appears stronger for blacks with higher socioeconomic status, chiefly those living outside the South Side of Chicago, those in the middle or upper income brackets, and those who are homeowners. While these intersecting trends are apparent, we see similar patterns looking at the graphs on race, income, and homeownership.
Race
Confirming earlier findings, non-Hispanic blacks held the lowest evaluation of ComEd. They were more likely to have unfavorable or moderate trust assessments and least likely to hold high trust evaluations of ComEd.
Income
Following prior income results, while there is some variation in income brackets, we can see that with increasing household income, residents are more likely to have low or moderate trust evaluations and less likely to “very much” or “completely” trust ComEd.
Financial Difficulty
Yet, despite issues of trust among those with higher socioeconomic status, there is similarly trust issues among those struggling financially, particularly those who cut necessities such as medicine or food in order to pay for their electric bill.
This pattern holds at higher various income brackets. In fact, those in the upper income bracket who had to cut back on household essentials to pay the electric bill held the least favorable trust assessments. Those who regulated essential expenditure almost every month exclusively trusted ComEd “not at all” or only “slightly.”
Homeownership
Homeownership relates to trust of ComEd. Homeowners are less likely to “very much” or “completely” trust ComEd compared to renters.
This finding, however, is modified by the residential tenure, or how long residents have lived in their current home. First consider the overarching pattern for all residents, both renters and owners:
As we can see, the overall pattern suggests that as residents live in their home longer, their overall trust of ComEd increases. For example, the proportion of respondents indicating they do “not at all” trust ComEd declines and those “completely” trusting ComEd increases the longer residents have lived in their current home. This pattern is particularly acute for homeowners:
There is greatest room for improving trust of homeowners, and to a lesser extent renters, who have lived in their home less than five years.
Having Smart Meters
Finally, an additional caveat exists that exposure to smart meters is important to trust of ComEd. As we saw in a previous section, opinion of smart meters, improved by having a smart meter in the residence. This pattern was particularly salient for renters. So too does the trust of ComEd. In particular, homeowners with smart meters were less likely to “not at all” or “slightly” trust ComEd compared to owners without a smart meter. Renters with smart meters increasingly indicated “very much” or complete trust of ComEd when they had smart meters.
Racially, non-Hispanic blacks without a smart meter were most likely to “not at all” trust ComEd, whereas this pattern is mitigated for blacks with a smart meter.
