Hydrogen plays an indispensable role in future economic development — this is the unanimous opinion in the countries surveyed. The development of hydrogen is essential for the economy of the future, according to 64 percent of Germans. The number of those who agree is even higher in Austria, at 67 percent. The Swiss rank just behind Germany with 63 percent, and 53 percent of the French are also of this opinion.
All the age groups surveyed in Germany regard hydrogen as an important pillar of the economic future. The figure is highest among the over-55s at 67 percent, followed by the 45–54s at 65 percent. Among 18–24 year-olds, the figure is 59 percent. This is especially true for those segments of the population that said they are strongly or very strongly interested in politics: 76 percent of those surveyed who are strongly interested and 78 percent of those who are very interested consider hydrogen to be forward-looking for the economy.
The assessment also holds across party lines: 72 percent of respondents who voted CDU/CSU in 2017, 68 percent of SPD voters, 69 percent of Left voters, 73 percent of Green voters and 74 percent of FDP voters, as well as 70 percent of AFD voters value the development of hydrogen as essential to the future of the economy. Economy does not work without jobs. Renewable energy will provide the jobs in the future.
“Do you know the job and training opportunities in the renewable energy sector?” was another question asked in the international YouGov survey commissioned by the Hydrogen Business for Climate forum. Forty percent of the Germans surveyed answered “yes” to this question. Among 18–24 year-olds, the figure was as high as 49 percent, while those over 55 had the lowest level of knowledge at 34 percent.
Political interest also goes hand in hand with interest in new job sectors. For example, the results of the survey show that only 13 percent of Germans who are not at all interested in politics knew about jobs in the sector, compared with 54 percent of those who are very interested. In Austria, as many as 51 percent of all respondents knew about job and training opportunities in the renewable energy sector, while the rate was 55 percent among 18–34 year-olds, and even those over 55 are well informed in Austria, with 51 percent of respondents.
The Swiss were similarly well informed, with 51 percent saying they knew about job and training opportunities, rising to 57 percent among 18–34 year olds, and even among 55 plus, 51 percent are still well informed. In France, the number of those who know about jobs in the renewable energy industry was particularly high among 18–24 year olds at 60 percent. Students are the best informed, with 62 percent of respondents
Your own career in the renewable industry? There is still work to be done to convince them
How pronounced is the interest in pursuing one’s own career in the renewable energy sector. This question made it clear that companies and the state still need to do some convincing: 23 percent of the Germans surveyed showed interest in pursuing a career in the renewable energy sector. In contrast, 49 percent were not interested. Interest was most pronounced among 25–34 year-old and 35–44 year-old Germans, at 36 and 32 percent respectively. Students showed strong interest with 41 percent. As many as 27 percent of 18–24 year-olds who do not currently see a career for themselves in this sector could imagine doing so in the future if they had more information. Among 25–34 year olds, 21 percent held this view, and among 35–44 year olds, 23 percent.
“Renewable energy, like hydrogen, is creating the jobs of the future. We need to do a lot more education and information here, and this is a transnational task, as the study shows.”
- Marc Becker, President of Pôle Véhicule du Futur
This is also confirmed by the responses to this question in Austria, although the figure is higher than in Germany: 30 percent of all Austrians surveyed could imagine a career in the renewable energy sector, and the figure was highest among 18–34 year-olds at 40 percent. Thirty percent of the Swiss respondents also showed interest in a career in renewable energy, and among 18–34 year olds the figure was 37 percent. Overall, 20 percent of French respondents were interested in a career in renewable energy, with interest highest among the 35–44 age group at 30 percent.
