Causal Analysis of Hydrogen Acceptance

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses a structural equation model on hydrogen acceptance. This model unravels the direct and indirect effects among personal characteristics, knowledge about hydrogen, perceptions, attitudes, and willingness to use hydrogen applications. In addition, indicators of differently colored information that can be provided by mass media have been included as explanatory variables. The estimated model indicates that colored information directly influences perceptions of hydrogen and indirectly influences attitudes about hydrogen and willingness to use it. In particular, negatively colored information decreases hydrogen acceptance, which cannot be counterbalanced by providing positively colored information. Furthermore, the model suggests that more factual knowledge about hydrogen increases its acceptance. The paper further discusses the likely development of hydrogen acceptance in the future and how practitioners can influence this.