Form Survey 1 Survey 1 Hydrogen Survey 2008 General Public

HYDROGEN SURVEY 2008
GENERAL PUBLIC
Using Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI), the household will be contacted. The
following protocol will be used.
Interviewer:
Hello, I’m ___ calling from _____ on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. Your
household has been randomly selected for an important national research survey about
new energy sources. I want to assure you we are not selling any products or services.
This survey is to be conducted with one adult, 18 years of age or older, who lives in this
household. If there is more than one, may I please speak with the adult in this household
who had the most recent birthday?
The survey takes about 12 minutes to complete. While your responses are voluntary,
every response is extremely important because the results to this survey will be used to
help design the hydrogen education program for the U.S. Department of Energy. Your
responses are confidential and will not be associated with your household in any way.
There are both technical and opinion questions in the survey. Tell me what you think or
believe, but keep in mind that “no opinion” or “don’t know” are perfectly acceptable
responses.
Interviewers will also have the following information to provide to the respondent:
• OMB Control Number
• Hydrogen website URL
Also note that, if asked at any point during the survey, the interviewer should tell the respondent
that there are no trick questions.

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Opening Question
Q1. Please rate your familiarity with hydrogen and fuel cell technologies:
A. Not at all familiar
(You know nothing about hydrogen and fuel cell technologies)
B. Slightly familiar
(You’ve heard about hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, read an article or watched a
television feature about the technology, or participated in casual conversation about the
technology)
C. Familiar
(You’ve had limited experience with hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; researched the
subject for school, work, or personal interest; or learned about the technology in a class
or workshop)
D. Very familiar
(You consider yourself an expert in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies)

Technical Knowledge Questions
T1-4 I am going to read several statements. After each one, please tell me if you believe the
statement is true, if it is false, or if you don’t know
A. True
B. False
C. Don’t know/No opinion
T1. Hydrogen gas is toxic
T2. Fuel cells produce electricity through hydrogen combustion
T3. Hydrogen is lighter than air
T4. Hydrogen has a distinct odor
T5. Fuel cells can provide power to which of the following?
A. Your home
B. Your car
C. Your laptop computer
D. None of these
E. Or, all of these
F. Don’t know/No opinion
T6. In which state or condition can hydrogen be stored?
A. Chemical compound
B. Liquid
C. Both of these
D. Or, neither of these
E. Don’t know/No opinion
T7. When using pure hydrogen, fuel cell vehicles generate electricity, water, and what else?
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Nitrous oxides

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C. Heat
D. Or, all of these
E. Don’t know/No opinion
T8. Hydrogen can be produced using which of the following sources of energy?
A. Natural gas
B. Sunlight
C. Organic matter
D. Or, all of these
E. Don’t know/No opinion

Opinion Questions
O1. For the next question, I will ask you to rank five items. It may be easier if you write them
down. Do you need a moment to get something to write with? Now, please tell me which factor
is MOST important to you, personally, when selecting a fuel for your vehicle or a power supply
for your home or business?
A. Safety
B. Low cost
C. Environmental impact
D. Convenience
E. Performance
F. Don’t know/Refused/No response
O2. Repeat Question O1 with remaining factors
O3. Repeat Question O1 with remaining factors
O4. Repeat Question O1 with remaining factors
O5. How would you feel if your local gas station also sold hydrogen?
A. Frightened
B. Uneasy
C. At ease
D. Or, pleased
E. Don’t know/No opinion
O6. Please tell me if you believe the following statement is true, if it is false, or if you don’t
know.
A. True
B. False
C. Don’t know/No opinion
O6. Hydrogen is too dangerous for everyday use by the general public.

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O7-9. Next, I am going to read several statements about potential benefits of using hydrogen as
a VEHICLE FUEL. For each, tell me if you disagree, are neutral, agree, or if you have no
opinion?
A. Disagree
B. Are neutral
C. Agree
D. No opinion
O7. Using hydrogen will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil
O8. Using hydrogen will reduce emissions and improve air quality
O9. Hydrogen is as safe to use in my car as gasoline and diesel fuels
O10. Imagine you are shopping for a new car. If you could walk into a dealership today and buy
a fuel cell vehicle at the same price as a comparable gasoline vehicle model, would you buy it?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Don’t know/No opinion
O11. How would you feel if a school, hospital, or other building in your neighborhood was
powered by a fuel cell located on its property?
A. Frightened
B. Uneasy
C. At ease
D. Or, pleased
E. Don’t know/No opinion
O12-O17. For the following applications, please rate the safety of using hydrogen and fuel cells,
in comparison with technology in use today. Is it not as safe, equally as safe, or safer to use
hydrogen and fuel cells for …
A. Not as safe
B. Equally as safe
C. Safer
D. No opinion
O12. Personal cars and trucks
O13. Buses and commercial vehicles
O14. Large power plants
O15. Small portable devices such as laptop computers or cell phones
O16. Onsite power for the home
O17. Onsite power for buildings such as hospitals and schools

Information Sources
I1-8. The next question is about your use of information sources that can help you make
decisions about energy costs and safety. How often do you use each of the following sources for
energy information? Would you say never, sometimes, or frequently?
A. Never
B. Sometimes

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C. Frequently
D. Don’t know
I1. Teachers and schools
I2. Friends and family members
I3. Environmental and conservation groups
I4. Utility companies or brokers, for example, gas or electricity providers
I5. Industry/trade associations or non-profit organizations
I6. Federal government
I7. State government
I8. Local government
I9-14. Finally, how often do you get energy information from different types of mass media?
Would you say that you never, sometimes, or frequently get energy information from…
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Frequently
D. Don’t know
I9. Television
I10. Radio
I11. The Internet
I12. Newspapers and general interest magazines
I13. Science and technology magazines and journals
I14. Business or trade magazines

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