Sustainable citizen decision-making: Impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the energy and circular economy transitions in urban Scotland

The present report is the outcome of a research project commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland and carried out by the Just Transition Hub (JTH), University of Dundee, with the objective of understanding the ways in which the cost-of-living crisis has affected the attitudes and behaviours of individuals and communities towards a transition to a low-carbon economy in Scotland. We define the transition as encompassing both energy transition and the transition to a circular economy, so in this report the word “transition(s)” means both the referred transitions. We define the scope of “justice” to cover three dimensions – distributive, recognition and procedural. Briefly, distributive justice concerns the ideal of a fair share of the benefits and costs of the transition among different communities and stakeholders. Recognition justice respects the proper acknowledgement of marginalised individuals and communities who may be living in deprived urban areas. Procedural justice respects inclusion and effective participation of all, including marginalised actors, in public debate and decision-making. The study involved a literature review in narrative form (chapter 2) and a smallscale exploratory study (chapters 3 and 4), using a multi-strategy approach that included seven individual semi-structured expert interviews, four semi-structured citizen/consumer focus groups and one semi-structured expert focus group. Both the literature review and the empirical research adopted a thematic analysis approach, with clear research objectives identified in a standardised analysis framework. The present research is part of a broader series of investigations commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland to understand circular economy perspectives and sustainable decision-making in times of crises to help inform Zero Waste Scotland’s communication, engagement and further research for a just transition. The present study is complemented by parallel research being conducted by the University of Highlands and Islands with a focus on rural communities.