Conversations about Conservation? Using Social Network Analysis to Understand Energy Practices

Uses mixed-method social network analysis across 85 interviews in six UK communities to understand how conversations influence energy practices. Identifies social factors that "open up" or "close down" energy discussions, including perceived stigma, thereby showing how network methods can reveal the social dynamics underlying behavioral change.

Reveals that energy conservation practices are shaped not by information alone but by who people discuss energy issues with and in what social contexts. The network perspective shows that stigma around discussing energy creates structural silences, and what cannot be spoken about in a network cannot influence behavior through that network.