IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v207y2025ics1364032124006981.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The influence of national cultures on preferences and willingness to pay for renewable energy in Developing countries: A meta-analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Chaikumbung, Mayula

Abstract

Many developing nations are among the most vulnerable to the impact of global warming, and they suffer from frequent electricity outages and inadequate access to electricity supply. To improve energy security and ensure a sustainable future, governments in developing nations design various policies to expand renewable energy targets. Understanding public preferences towards renewables is a vital step in formulating effective policies. This study provides the first comprehensive synthesis of consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for green electricity and examine the effect of cultural dimensions and other factors on willingness to pay by conducting a meta-analysis of 883 estimates reported in 98 studies from 29 developing countries. The findings indicate that societies characterised by greater uncertainty avoidance are less likely to support renewables. Electricity generated from solar energy is favoured over that from other renewables. Further, green electricity is classified as a normal good, and estimates of willingness to pay rise with increasing latitudinal positions.

Suggested Citation

  • Chaikumbung, Mayula, 2025. "The influence of national cultures on preferences and willingness to pay for renewable energy in Developing countries: A meta-analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006981
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114972
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032124006981
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114972?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simona Bigerna & Paolo Polinori, 2015. "Assessing the Determinants of Renewable Electricity Acceptance Integrating Meta-Analysis Regression and a Local Comprehensive Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-24, August.
    2. Joseph Henrich, 2001. "In Search of Homo Economicus: Behavioral Experiments in 15 Small-Scale Societies," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 73-78, May.
    3. Rosa Maria Dangelico & Luca Fraccascia & Alberto Nastasi, 2020. "National culture's influence on environmental performance of countries: A study of direct and indirect effects," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 1773-1786, November.
    4. Zhang, Lei & Wu, Yang, 2012. "Market segmentation and willingness to pay for green electricity among urban residents in China: The case of Jiangsu Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 514-523.
    5. Hoff, Karla & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 2016. "Striving for balance in economics: Towards a theory of the social determination of behavior," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 126(PB), pages 25-57.
    6. Havranek, Tomas & Irsova, Zuzana & Janda, Karel & Zilberman, David, 2015. "Selective reporting and the social cost of carbon," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 394-406.
    7. Sardianou, E. & Genoudi, P., 2013. "Which factors affect the willingness of consumers to adopt renewable energies?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1-4.
    8. Fan, Yubing & Wang, Chenggang & Nan, Zhibiao, 2018. "Determining water use efficiency of wheat and cotton: A meta-regression analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 48-60.
    9. Pasquale Marcello Falcone, 2023. "Sustainable Energy Policies in Developing Countries: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-19, September.
    10. Mattauch, Linus & Hepburn, Cameron & Spuler, Fiona & Stern, Nicholas, 2022. "The economics of climate change with endogenous preferences," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    11. Borchers, Allison M. & Duke, Joshua M. & Parsons, George R., 2007. "Does willingness to pay for green energy differ by source?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 3327-3334, June.
    12. Yiannis Kountouris & Kyriaki Remoundou, 2016. "Cultural Influence on Preferences and Attitudes for Environmental Quality," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(2), pages 369-397, May.
    13. Labandeira, Xavier & Labeaga, José M. & Linares, Pedro & López-Otero, Xiral, 2020. "The impacts of energy efficiency policies: Meta-analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    14. Oerlemans, Leon A.G. & Chan, Kai-Ying & Volschenk, Jako, 2016. "Willingness to pay for green electricity: A review of the contingent valuation literature and its sources of error," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 875-885.
    15. Yu, Ying & Yamaguchi, Kensuke & Thuy, Truong Dang & Kittner, Noah, 2022. "Will the public in emerging economies support renewable energy? Evidence from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    16. Lifeng Lin, 2018. "Bias caused by sampling error in meta-analysis with small sample sizes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-19, September.
    17. Chaikumbung, Mayula, 2021. "Institutions and consumer preferences for renewable energy: A meta-regression analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    18. Schumacher, Ingmar, 2015. "The endogenous formation of an environmental culture," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 200-221.
    19. Vatn, Arild, 2005. "Rationality, institutions and environmental policy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 203-217, November.
    20. Hanemann, W Michael, 1991. "Willingness to Pay and Willingness to Accept: How Much Can They Differ?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(3), pages 635-647, June.
    21. Chaikumbung, Mayula & Doucouliagos, Hristos & Scarborough, Helen, 2019. "Institutions, Culture, and Wetland Values," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 195-204.
    22. Shultz, Steven & Pinazzo, Jorge & Cifuentes, Miguel, 1998. "Opportunities and limitations of contingent valuation surveys to determine national park entrance fees: evidence from Costa Rica," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(1), pages 131-149, February.
    23. Bakkensen, Laura & Schuler, Paul, 2020. "A preference for power: Willingness to pay for energy reliability versus fuel type in Vietnam," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    24. Goggins, Gary & Rau, Henrike & Moran, Paul & Fahy, Frances & Goggins, Jamie, 2022. "The role of culture in advancing sustainable energy policy and practice," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    25. Ma, Chunbo & Rogers, Abbie A. & Kragt, Marit E. & Zhang, Fan & Polyakov, Maksym & Gibson, Fiona & Chalak, Morteza & Pandit, Ram & Tapsuwan, Sorada, 2015. "Consumers’ willingness to pay for renewable energy: A meta-regression analysis," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 93-109.
    26. T.D. Stanley & Hristos Doucouliagos & Margaret Giles & Jost H. Heckemeyer & Robert J. Johnston & Patrice Laroche & Jon P. Nelson & Martin Paldam & Jacques Poot & Geoff Pugh & Randall S. Rosenberger & , 2013. "Meta-Analysis Of Economics Research Reporting Guidelines," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 390-394, April.
    27. Christopher Hansen & Holger Steinmetz & Jörn Block, 2022. "How to conduct a meta-analysis in eight steps: a practical guide," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(1), pages 1-19, February.
    28. Gunnar Luderer & Silvia Madeddu & Leon Merfort & Falko Ueckerdt & Michaja Pehl & Robert Pietzcker & Marianna Rottoli & Felix Schreyer & Nico Bauer & Lavinia Baumstark & Christoph Bertram & Alois Dirna, 2022. "Author Correction: Impact of declining renewable energy costs on electrification in low-emission scenarios," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 7(4), pages 380-381, April.
    29. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Wang, Chih-Wei & Ho, Shan-Ju, 2022. "The dimension of green economy: Culture viewpoint," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 122-138.
    30. Alló, Maria & Loureiro, Maria L., 2014. "The role of social norms on preferences towards climate change policies: A meta-analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 563-574.
    31. Sundt, Swantje & Rehdanz, Katrin, 2015. "Consumers' willingness to pay for green electricity: A meta-analysis of the literature," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-8.
    32. Wenqi Dang, 2020. "How culture shapes environmental public participation: case studies of China, the Netherlands, and Italy," Journal of Chinese Governance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(3), pages 390-412, July.
    33. Ang, James B. & Fredriksson, Per G. & Sharma, Swati, 2020. "Individualism and the adoption of clean energy technology," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    34. Oluoch, Sydney & Lal, Pankaj & Susaeta, Andres & Wolde, Bernabas, 2021. "Public preferences for renewable energy options: A choice experiment in Kenya," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    35. Havranek, Tomas & Irsova, Zuzana, 2011. "Estimating vertical spillovers from FDI: Why results vary and what the true effect is," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 234-244.
    36. Thomas Barnebeck Andersen & Carl-Johan Dalgaard & Pablo Selaya, 2016. "Climate and the Emergence of Global Income Differences," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 83(4), pages 1334-1363.
    37. Philip J. Heptonstall & Robert J. K. Gross, 2021. "A systematic review of the costs and impacts of integrating variable renewables into power grids," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 72-83, January.
    38. Gunnar Luderer & Silvia Madeddu & Leon Merfort & Falko Ueckerdt & Michaja Pehl & Robert Pietzcker & Marianna Rottoli & Felix Schreyer & Nico Bauer & Lavinia Baumstark & Christoph Bertram & Alois Dirna, 2022. "Impact of declining renewable energy costs on electrification in low-emission scenarios," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 32-42, January.
    39. T.D. Stanley & Hristos Doucouliagos & Margaret Giles & Jost Heckemeyer & Robert Johnston & Patrice Laroche & Jon Nelson & Martin Paldam & Jacques Poot & Geoff Pugh & Randall Rosenberger & Katja Rost, 2013. "Meta-analysis of economics research reporting guidelines," Post-Print hal-02137661, HAL.
    40. Matthew J. Kotchen, 2006. "Green Markets and Private Provision of Public Goods," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 114(4), pages 816-845, August.
    41. O'Hara, Sabine U. & Stagl, Sigrid, 2002. "Endogenous preferences and sustainable development," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 511-527.
    42. Samuel Bowles, 1998. "Endogenous Preferences: The Cultural Consequences of Markets and Other Economic Institutions," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 75-111, March.
    43. Chaudhry, Sajid M. & Shafiullah, Muhammad, 2021. "Does culture affect energy poverty? Evidence from a cross-country analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    44. Jon Nelson & Peter Kennedy, 2009. "The Use (and Abuse) of Meta-Analysis in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: An Assessment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 42(3), pages 345-377, March.
    45. Stephen Hynes & Daniel Norton & Nick Hanley, 2013. "Adjusting for Cultural Differences in International Benefit Transfer," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 56(4), pages 499-519, December.
    46. Cicia, Gianni & Cembalo, Luigi & Del Giudice, Teresa & Palladino, Andrea, 2012. "Fossil energy versus nuclear, wind, solar and agricultural biomass: Insights from an Italian national survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 59-66.
    47. Channing Arndt & Doug Arent & Faaiqa Hartley & Bruno Merven & Alam Hossain Mondal, 2019. "Faster Than You Think: Renewable Energy and Developing Countries," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 11(1), pages 149-168, October.
    48. Chaikumbung, Mayula, 2023. "The effects of institutions and cultures on people's willingness to pay for climate change policies: A meta-regression analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    49. Soliño, Mario & Vázquez, María X. & Prada, Albino, 2009. "Social demand for electricity from forest biomass in Spain: Does payment periodicity affect the willingness to pay?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 531-540, February.
    50. Hoyos, David & Mariel, Petr & Fernández-Macho, Javier, 2009. "The influence of cultural identity on the WTP to protect natural resources: Some empirical evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(8-9), pages 2372-2381, June.
    51. Soon, Jan-Jan & Ahmad, Siti-Aznor, 2015. "Willingly or grudgingly? A meta-analysis on the willingness-to-pay for renewable energy use," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 877-887.
    52. Vatn, Arild, 2009. "An institutional analysis of methods for environmental appraisal," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(8-9), pages 2207-2215, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chaikumbung, Mayula, 2021. "Institutions and consumer preferences for renewable energy: A meta-regression analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    2. Cerdá, Emilio & López-Otero, Xiral & Quiroga, Sonia & Soliño, Mario, 2024. "Willingness to pay for renewables: Insights from a meta-analysis of choice experiments," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Chaikumbung, Mayula, 2023. "The effects of institutions and cultures on people's willingness to pay for climate change policies: A meta-regression analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. Wang, Yushi & Wu, Libo & Zhou, Yang, 2024. "Household's willingness to pay for renewable electricity: A meta-analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    5. Dalia Streimikiene & Tomas Balezentis & Ilona Alisauskaite-Seskiene & Gintare Stankuniene & Zaneta Simanaviciene, 2019. "A Review of Willingness to Pay Studies for Climate Change Mitigation in the Energy Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-38, April.
    6. Ma, Chunbo & Rogers, Abbie A. & Kragt, Marit E. & Zhang, Fan & Polyakov, Maksym & Gibson, Fiona & Chalak, Morteza & Pandit, Ram & Tapsuwan, Sorada, 2015. "Consumers’ willingness to pay for renewable energy: A meta-regression analysis," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 93-109.
    7. Gianluca Grilli, 2017. "Renewable energy and willingness to pay: Evidences from a meta-analysis," ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2017(1-2), pages 253-271.
    8. Masako Numata & Masahiro Sugiyama & Wunna Swe & Daniel del Barrio Alvarez, 2021. "Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy in Myanmar: Energy Source Preference," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-17, March.
    9. Balezentis, Tomas & Streimikiene, Dalia & Mikalauskas, Ignas & Shen, Zhiyang, 2021. "Towards carbon free economy and electricity: The puzzle of energy costs, sustainability and security based on willingness to pay," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    10. Anna Kowalska-Pyzalska, 2019. "Do Consumers Want to Pay for Green Electricity? A Case Study from Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, March.
    11. Hackbarth, André, 2018. "Attitudes, preferences, and intentions of German households concerning participation in peer-to-peer electricity trading," Reutlingen Working Papers on Marketing & Management 2019-2, Reutlingen University, ESB Business School.
    12. Alló, Maria & Loureiro, Maria L., 2014. "The role of social norms on preferences towards climate change policies: A meta-analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 563-574.
    13. Oerlemans, Leon A.G. & Chan, Kai-Ying & Volschenk, Jako, 2016. "Willingness to pay for green electricity: A review of the contingent valuation literature and its sources of error," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 875-885.
    14. Hackbarth, André & Löbbe, Sabine, 2020. "Attitudes, preferences, and intentions of German households concerning participation in peer-to-peer electricity trading," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    15. Chaikumbung, Mayula & Doucouliagos, Hristos & Scarborough, Helen, 2019. "Institutions, Culture, and Wetland Values," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 195-204.
    16. Bakkensen, Laura & Schuler, Paul, 2020. "A preference for power: Willingness to pay for energy reliability versus fuel type in Vietnam," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    17. Bae, Jeong Hwan & Rishi, Meenakshi & Li, Dmitriy, 2021. "Consumer preferences for a green certificate program in South Korea," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    18. Martínez-Cruz, Adán L. & Núñez, Héctor M., 2021. "Tension in Mexico's energy transition: Are urban residential consumers in Aguascalientes willing to pay for renewable energy and green jobs?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    19. Lehmann, Nico & Sloot, Daniel & Schüle, Christopher & Ardone, Armin & Fichtner, Wolf, 2023. "The motivational drivers behind consumer preferences for regional electricity – Results of a choice experiment in Southern Germany," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    20. Sundt, Swantje & Rehdanz, Katrin, 2015. "Consumers' willingness to pay for green electricity: A meta-analysis of the literature," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-8.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006981. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.