Social Costs of Ethanol Production - Research Proposal Example

Consumer awareness of the social costs of ethanol production and how this knowledge affects public acceptance Introduction Owing to environmental pollution and running out of fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, biofuels are becoming the most suitable alternative. Even if it can solve the energy crisis, it is not without any harmful global effect that can be threatening to modern as well as future generations. Ethanol, known by Ethyl Alcohol, is the same chemical compound that is found in alcoholic beverages. It is an effective motor fuel, which is produced from agricultural crops, primarily corn, along with from other recycled wastes and residues. It is quite effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the primary source of which is transportation. Experiments prove that ethanol results in lesser pollution risk to potable water. (Ethanol As A transportation Fuel, n.d.) However, in spite of so many advantages, ethanol production has some global implications, too. The shift towards biofuels is a threat to forests and biodiversity, the increase in food prices, along with the competition for water resources as a negative impact of the use of biofuels. Therefore, a research can be designed that can assess the consumer awareness in USA and the people's attitude towards the social cost of ethanol production. Methodology In order to do any research, one needs to develop research methods. It comprises a variety of planned and scientific techniques that are value neutral. It is designed to maximise the accuracy of results. First and foremost thing required for an effective research is a proper representative of the researched population through effective sampling, in order to ensure that it is the proper representation of the population under study. (What Are Research Methods, April 2008) Methodology also involves what type of information and data to gather, and the choice of information along with other methodological choices. The proposed research is an inductive one, where generalisation can be made based on the response of the sample. It is also going to be a cross sectional survey, where the response of population would be made on a single time frame. (What is Methodology, n.d.) The proposed research is based on questionnaire and interview that will help in the proper response. The research is intended to measure awareness amongst a group of people from varying educational background, age, income, household location, gender, etc. Before commencing on the final research, a pilot study is intended to eradicate any flaws in the questionnaire, interview techniques or variable selection. Sampling The population being Unites States of America, sample should be designed such that there is proper representation from all regions. So, it is better to stratify the population so that every region is represented through the sample. However, it is not feasible to represent each and every state in the sampling frame, therefore, it is better to choose thousand people from the most populated states of USA. The respondents will be chosen from the registered voters, according to the variables used in the research. The type of sampling that will be effective is area random sampling or cluster sampling. First the population will be divided into clusters representing each geographical boundary. Then, the randomly clusters will be selected accordingly, in order to measure all the units within the sampled clusters. Once this is selected, the sample will be interviewed on the basis of the questionnaire, and if it is not possible to interview, they will me mailed the questionnaire, which they will fill up and data will be analysed quantitatively and qualitatively, based on the answers. (Probability Sampling, October 2006) Variables For sample selection, a number of variables will be used. The first variable for data analysis is the gender, whether male or female, age and travel patterns. Age will categorised as 18-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80 and above 80 years of age. The traveling pattern can be categorised by the usage of vehicles in hour basis in one month. Whereas, age, income and gender will be close-ended questions, where the respondents will tick to only one category; in case of traveling pattern, the respondents will be asked to write average hours of traveling in a month. From the data, while analysing, the hours of traveling can be quantitatively analysed. Next comes, educational background, whether school degree, high school, diploma or high school with diploma, college degree, bachelor's degree and masters degree. The next important variable is annual income. The income will be distributed as monthly earning below 15 US Dollars, 15,001 - 30,000 US Dollars, 30,001 - 45,000 US Dollars, 45,001 - 60,000 US Dollars, 60,001 - 75,000 US Dollars, 75,001 - 90,000 US Dollars, and above 90,001 US Dollars. Questionnaire will also have questions that verify the knowledge of the respondents regarding the social costs of ethanol production and whether they support it or not. Questions will also be formed in a way to measure their attitude towards environmental pollution while using fossil fuels. Questions can also be formed to analyse whether the respondents are willing to pay higher costs for living and buying food, as ethanol production leads to high cost of living. (Questionnaire Design, n.d.) Methods of Data Analysis In order to analyse the data, first the data will be cleaned against any ambiguity and they will be organised, which is known as data preparation. It involves checking the data for accuracy and entering it to the computer and then transforming, developing and documenting a database structure that will integrate various measures. The dependent as well as independent variables also need to be analysed. Descriptive as well as Inferential statistics will be used to analyse the data. Descriptive analysis will provide the base for analysing the data quantitatively. It will simply describe the views of respondents, i.e. their awareness and their acceptance of social cost of ethanol production. Inferential statistics will also be used to infer from the sample data the thought process of the population. It will also be analysed according to the variables, that is, whether the awareness and acceptance differ on the basis of their age, income level or educational background. The data can be analysed on the basis of gender to infer whether men and women think alike or not. After that, t-test and analysis of variance or correlation can be done to find out results. After the analysis, it will be clear that whether awareness and acceptance of the social cost of ethanol production differs across geographical boundaries or not, and also whether it depends on other variables used in the study or not. (Analysis, October 2006) Possible Problems It is really necessary to identify the problems beforehand and to plan accordingly in order to minimise them, as much as practically possible. First of all, it might happen that people are unwilling to co-operate. Then, it is necessary to make them understand the social cause of this research and how it can help them in future. The access to the equipment is sometimes a problem and sometimes equipment failure can also happen. The question of reliability is utmost necessity in each and every research. Therefore, the data need to be analysed according to their reliability measures. Another way of increasing the dependability and validity of the data is to design the questionnaire in such a way, so that there are no ambiguous questions and there is every possible categorization of the variables. It should also be free from any biases that might threaten the validity and reliability of data. Survey Instrument It is quite important to plan the questionnaire in such a way that the answers of the respondents give a clear view regarding the research hypotheses or the intention of study. The questionnaire will obviously consist of open-ended as well as close-ended questions. Open ended should not be much so that there is difficulty in analysing the data. (Questionnaire Design, n.d.) The variables, like age, income level and educational level questions will be close ended and should be properly categorised, as mentioned before. A few examples of the questions can be, "How many hours do you travel in a week", "Are you willing to spend more to reduce environmental pollution, if it suits your income level". Timeline It is not possible to say the exact timeline, but a time frame can be suggested. It will probably take two to four months to do the theoretical work, such as creating the sampling frame and questionnaire. After that, the samples or the respondents will be contacted and asked to return back the questionnaire within a given time. After getting the questionnaire back or completing the interview schedule, the data analysis and concluding part will take another four months, approximately, which is again dependent, how efficient the group is in analysing the data accurately in the given time frame. Conclusion After the study, it is quite important to inform the respondents and aware people regarding the outcome of the study. It is expected that this research will be able to determine valuable results, if it is carried out properly. It will also go beyond other studies, already been done in the same field. The research is intended to review public acceptance from socio - economic standpoint. It will help analyse how many people of USA are actually aware of the social cost of ethanol production and how many of them are willing to accept it. This research will also help in finding whether other alternative measures are required that can solve the present state. List of References: Analysis, (October 2006), Research Methods - Knowledge Base, retrieved January 13, 2009, from Ethanol As A transportation Fuel, (no date), California Energy Commission - Consumer Energy Center, retrieved January 13, 2009, from Probability Sampling, (October 2006), Research Methods - Knowledge Base, retrieved January 13, 2009, from Questionnaire Design, (no date), retrieved January 13, 2009, from < http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_winter/Topics/quest-design/> What Are Research Methods (April 2008), retrieved January 13, 2009, from What is Methodology (no date), retrieved January 13, 2009, from Read More