Citizen Awareness of the Social Dimension of Energy: Lessons from a Survey in Dakar

AbstractThe 2018 uprising of “Gilets jaunes” in France gave prominence to the question of whether to fund the energy transition or lift up the buying power of populations. This topical concern raises older and yet unsolved questions, which are how much does cost the energy transition and who should bear the bill. The chapter explores emerging issues in the challenge of transition to energy sustainability in communities and focuses on citizens’ perception of the social dimension of energy, besides the economic and environmental dimensions. The study findings from a survey conducted in Dakar show that citizens’ opinions on energy are shared between necessity—for living—and concern about its pollution. Our findings support the design of a localized communication strategy to support the energy agenda for transition to sustainability.