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Fact #421: April 24, 2006
Knowledge about Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

The U.S. Department of Energy conducted four surveys in 2004 to gather information on the knowledge of hydrogen and fuel cells. The four groups surveyed were: the general public; students ages 12 to 17 years old; State and Local Government officials; and potential large-scale end users, such as transportation services, businesses needing uninterrupted power supplies, and industries with large power requirements. In each group that was surveyed the respondents knew more about hydrogen in general than specifics about fuel cells.

Average correct answers on questions about hydrogen and fuel cells
Graph showing the results from four groups: the general public, students ages 12 to 17, State and Local Government officials, and potential large-scale end users on their knowledge of hydrogen and fuel cells. For more information, see the table below.

Supporting Information

Average correct answers on questions about hydrogen and fuel cells
Target Audience Hydrogen Questions Fuel Cell Questions All Questions
General Public 41% 11% 33%
Students 40% 11% 32%
State & Local Government Officials 73% 47% 66%
End Users 53% 22% 44%

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hydrogen Baseline Knowledge Assessment Surveys, 2004.
General public survey, N=889.
Student survey, N=1,000.
Government officials, N=246.
End users, N=99.

 

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