Misleading intentions? Questioning the effectiveness and biases of Eurobarometer data for energy sustainability, development and transition research

Abstract

Ensuring data quality is a pivotal and resurgent issue in research. The ascending importance of natural resource and energy sustainability, development and transition in social science scholarship has led to a soaring of databases exploring detailed dynamics. Nevertheless, international organisations and development agencies have not necessarily managed to reply effectively to the arising needs, which stimulates a request for reliable environmental and socioeconomic data. This perspective paper aims at highlighting key flaws in institutional data quality from sustainability, development and transition science, focusing on energy. To this end, the 2019 Eurobarometer 91.4 survey about Europeans' attitudes toward the EU energy policy is examined. Indeed, the EU Eurobarometer collocates amongst the most pertinent databases though is affected by a number of data frailties. As potentially biased information may then be used to formulate assumably inappropriate policy recommendations, this article foresees a set of solutions to address this relevant matter, proposing a reform in the survey administration methods.