Professor Christopher Jones

Personal statement:

I am an applied social and environmental psychologist with expertise in understanding and assessing the public acceptance of technologies and public attitudes and responses to environmental change. I have worked in this field for over 17 years, following the completion of my PhD in the fundamentals of attitude formation and change within unfamiliar environments.

I am an experienced interdisciplinary researcher, and have collaborated with academic and non-academic partners from subjects as diverse as chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, fashion, town and regional planning, landscape and journalism. I have published over 60 journal articles, book chapters and magazine articles.

Key topic areas of research or interest:

My research interests focus primarily on two key topic areas:

(1) The social acceptability and acceptance of new technologies: Particularly assessing public attitudes and behaviour towards established and emerging energy supply and demand side technology options (e.g., nuclear fission and fusion, wind power, carbon dioxide storage and utilisation, smart homes).

(2) Environmental behaviour change: Particularly assessing the factors that facilitate and inhibit action on environmental issues and the promotion of more consistent pro-environmental behaviours (e.g., compensatory beliefs and moral licensing).

Publications:

Recent papers/chapters:

Seymour, V., Cárdenas, B., Urquhart, A., Pottie, D. L., Day, J., de Oliveira Júnior, M. M., … & Jones, C. R. (2025). Feeling the heat: Understanding stakeholders’ perceptions of residential-sector heating decarbonisation options in the UK. Technology in Society, 81, 102849.

Jones, C. R., Lee, R. P., & Kaklamanou, D. (2025). Public attitudes towards gasification technologies in the UK, Germany and China and their susceptibility to the Nasty Effect. Technology in Society, 82, 102891.

Day, J., Donaldson, D. L., Barbour, E., Cárdenas, B., Jones, C. R., Urquhart, A. J., … & Wilson, I. G. (2024). Estimating primary substation boundaries and the value of mapping Great Britain’s electrical network infrastructure. Applied Energy, 376, 124242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124242

Jones, C. R., Elgueta, H., Chudasama, N., Kaklamanou, D., East, D., & Cruden, A. J. (2024). Modelling Public Intentions to Use Innovative EV Chargers Employing Hybrid Energy Storage Systems: A UK Case Study Based upon the Technology Acceptance Model. Energies, 17(6), 1405.

Seymour, V., Xenitidou, M., Timotijevic, L., Hodgkins, C. E., Ratcliffe, E., Gatersleben, B., … & Jones, C. R. (2024). Exploring perceptions of smart, modular living in the UK: a think aloud study. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2024.2350662

Jones, C. R., Oltra, C., Giacometti, A., Čok, V., Povh, J., Lamut, U., … & Bustreo, C. (2024). The clock is ticking: Understanding the ‘mixed feelings’ about fusion energy in Europe. Energy Research & Social Science, 113, 103538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103538

Seymour, V., Xenitidou, M., Timotijevic, L., Hodgkins, C. E., Ratcliffe, E., Gatersleben, B., … & Jones, C. R. (2024). Public acceptance of smart home technologies in the UK: a citizens’ jury study. Journal of Decision Systems, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/12460125.2023.2298617

Cut from the same cloth? Understanding behavioural consistency in energy and clothes shopping. Handbook on Pro-Environmental Behaviour Change. ISBN1800882130, 9781800882133.

Perceptions of accountability and trust in the regulatory governance of wood burning stove sustainability: Survey evidence from the post-Brexit UK. Energy Policy. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421523001349)

Understanding public perceptions of chemical recycling: A comparative study of public attitudes towards coal and waste gasification in Germany and the United Kingdom. Sustainable Production and Consumption. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550922000999)

A change would do you good: advances in research impact in sustainable tourism and some ‘home truths’ for the sector. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669582.2021.2000995)