The overarching research question is what utility people derive from energy. Specific research questions include the following:

i) How does the supply and consumption of different forms of energy (electricity, fuel, etc.) contribute to subjective well-being?

ii) What are citizens’ implied preferences and willingness to pay for alternative configurations of the energy supply system?

iii) What are the consequences for subjective well-being of living close to power stations and other energy facilities (balancing e.g. potentially higher income and employment levels against local pollution, the fear of accidents, or losses of scenic beauty), and what are the implications for the so-called NIMBY (not in my backyard) problem?

iv) Are there measurable effects of the Fukushima accident on European/Swiss citizens’ SWB?