Dainius Genys

Public perception of energy security in Lithuania: between material interest and energy independence

ABSTRACT The issue of the energy security in social sciences research area is mostly prevalent in political sciences. The sociological research of the issues of energy is rather scarce. The reasons of the lack of concern about sociology of energy security could be related to the specific geopolitical context of post-Soviet states. The energy policy of new democratic post-Soviet states are pressed to reconstruct the entire energy system of former Soviet Union. This is not only technological or political, but maybe, first of all, social issue directly related to the consumption of users of gas and electricity and their prices. The societies and different social groups become an important social actors in the stressful energy policy. There is a lack of attention not only to social determinants of perception of energy security but also a lack of deeper analysis of public opinion in Lithuania. This article aims to improve our understanding of the Lithuanian public perception of energy security. This article focuses on two aspects: (a) An analysis of public opinion on the most important aspects of energy security and the social factors influencing them. The hypothesis is that public perception of energy security is related to value orientations. (b) An analysis of how public opinion on energy policy executed by the government and confidence in the government are intertwined with the concept of energy security.

Energetinio saugumo sociologija : teorija ir praktika : monografija

Monografija parengta vykdant Lietuvos mokslo tarybos finansuojamą nacionalinės mokslo programos „Ateities energetika“ projektą „Lietuvos energetinio saugumo tyrimas ir energetinio saugumo lygio įvertinimas“ (sutartis ATE-06/2012).

Lithuanian energy security: annual review 2012–2013

Online ISSN 2335-7045. Lygiagretus leidinys: Lietuvos energetinis saugumas : metinė apžvalga 2015-2016 (liet. k.). ISSN 2335-7010

Lietuvos energetinis saugumas : metinė apžvalga 2014-2015

ISSN 2335-7037 (elektroninis). Toks pat leidinys yra isleistas anglų k. Lithuanian energy security : annual review 2014-2015. ISSN 2335-7029 (Print), ISSN 2335-7045 (Online)

Switching political nuclear energy preferences, changing public attitude

Abstract The aim of the paper is twofold - to cover the latest nuclear energy politics events and reveal the dynamics in public perception of nuclear energy by explaining the distribution of attitudes among two notable social groups in Lithuania. The paper is based on two empirical research studies (public polls) carried out in 2013 and 2017. The paper consists of four parts. starts with brief review of main happenings in recent nuclear politics and general tendencies public perception of nuclear energy. Then, it presents cluster analysis of both 2013 and 2017 polls, in which respondents were divided into two groups based on income, education and occupation. Lastly, the paper presents findings and discusses the dynamics of public perception. Comparing the 2017 data with the results of 2013, three main tendencies can be distinguished. First, society became better informed and more critical. Second, the cluster analysis divided respondents in two almost identical groups as in 2013 (with minor peculiarities). Third, the general tendency presupposes the breaking of the irrelevance of nuclear energy as an important factor for energy security in public perception.

The Transformation of Energy Risk in the Baltic States

Abstract The aim of the article is to reveal the process of energy risk transformation, which creates concrete hazards for citizens of the Baltic States. The article analyzes two sides of the same problem - district heating (DH) and the renovation of multi-apartment houses. The article will show that the transformation of energy risk is affected by the legacy of a specific constellation of technological, economic and social elements of Soviet infrastructure that appears in a specific and particularly precarious shape under conditions of liberal market capitalism as regards energy security. The article consists of four parts. The first part describes the issue of district heating and shows its relation with social science. The second part describes the relation of energy risk with modernization and shows how the change of structural conditions (change from industrial society to risk society) transform concrete aspects of energy system (DH whichwere build to meet society’s need) from less risky to a serious hazard for society (which due to the rise of risk society no longer satisfies society’s needs and becomes an unsolvable problem). The third part discusses the two aspects of state socialism housing policy: social and economic. The social aspect of Soviet housing policy was a part of societys social homogenization, carried out by Soviet authorities. The economic aspect refers to the Soviet states priorities that pushed the housing provision into the periphery of social policy. The fourth part discusses the attempts of already independent countries to solve DH problems. It is demonstrated that active and independent decisions requiring business model was imposed on passive society strongly dependent upon government decisions. Therefore, the renovation process of multi-apartment houses is complicated. The switchover to a market economy after the emergence of private property and rise of energy prices as well as the states inability to subsidize the DH to a large extent, have highlighted the losses resulting from the multi-apartment buildings’ poor quality.