Rural Electricity Consumption: Reality and Prospects in the Opinion of the Inhabitants of Podkarpackie and Lubelskie Voivodships

Abstract The aim of the research is to present electricity consumption in rural areas and the preferred directions of development of the energy sector in Poland in the opinion of the rural population of the Podkarpackie and Lubelskie Voivodships. Due to the extensive scope of the analysis, the part showing the actual energy consumption was based on the data from statistical offices, whereas the part concerning the prospects was based on the survey conducted in 2021 among 516 inhabitants of rural areas of the Podkarpackie and Lubelskie Voivodships, which are typically agricultural regions. The study was partial and was carried out using the diagnostic survey method and the CAWI technique. The study was not probabilistic. The study shows that the surveyed inhabitants of rural areas positively assessed the consequences of the European Union climate policy for the natural environment and expect greater state support to increase the share of renewable energy sources in Poland’s energy mix and to apply the requirements for the energy efficiency of devices. The respondents were convinced of the possibility of covering and replacing energy from conventional sources. They positively assessed energy from renewable sources, perceiving renewable energy, mainly photovoltaics, as the main source of energy in Poland’s energy mix.