A review of public opinion on liquid biofuels in the EU: Current knowledge and future challenges

Biofuels are regarded as a key element in order to reach the EU renewable energy targets. However the implementation of biofuel technologies, depending on the type of feedstock utilised, may have significant drawbacks, such as indirect land use change (entailing deforestation and considerable greenhouse gases emissions) and competition with food production (entailing higher food prices). Considering these controversial aspects, it is crucial to understand public opinion towards biofuels. This article therefore reviews the literature on public opinion on liquid biofuels with a focus on EU member states, with consideration of insights from North American studies. The public is in general found to be supportive of biofuels, although public knowledge is found to be limited. However, the perception of risk redistribution implied by biofuels implementation is found to be important in understanding public opinion, and may determine public support. In addition, aspects influencing public opinion, such as media, discourses and knowledge, are identified and discussed. Due to limited knowledge regarding biofuels, we find that public opinion may be vulnerable to dominant discourses, media and social media frames — increased public knowledge may help mitigate such vulnerability. Furthermore, the study indicates increased likelihood of support by an informed and educated public when the implementation of biofuels is considered to be fair. We conclude that there is a need for further research regarding public support and resistance towards biofuels, (i) focusing on policies for biofuel implementation, and (ii) using qualitative prospective assessment methods inspired by participatory technology assessment.