America’s perceptions on critical minerals

Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and copper are essential for an energy transition away from fossil fuels—but America’s perception of their importance isn’t fully understood, which can slow progress.

According to a recent study conducted by Missouri S&T researchers, 38% of Americans surveyed were familiar with critical minerals, but 80% of respondents recognized the importance of minerals in the energy transition.

Dr. Mahelet Fikru, professor of economics, and Sreeja Koppera, a master’s degree student in business and information technology, conducted the study using a nationally representative survey of 1,200 online respondents. Their results are published in Communications Earth & Environment.

“We were very much interested to learn what the public’s perception is about minerals specifically used for the energy transitions with rare earth elements, cobalt, copper or anything that has to do with making solar panels, electric vehicles and wind turbines,” Fikru says.

Fikru and Sreeja discovered that most people support research to make mining greener but aren’t as supportive of domestic mining. People who focused on clean energy better supported wide mineral policies, while environmentally conscious people opposed domestic mining and favored recycling and greener mining methods.

“The U.S. government has recognized the importance of these minerals for energy transition, but we were concerned that people don’t know enough about it,” Fikru says.

With Sreeja’s dedication in organizing the survey, Americans were asked questions ranging from critical mineral familiarity and awareness, if they can name any critical minerals with examples and how those minerals could play an important role in cleaner energy technologies. Toward the end, they asked about support for those energy transition strategies like domestic mining and recycling.

“A lot of people agree in trying to address climate change, but do they necessarily associate that with mining? Not a lot of them,” Fikru says. “They want solar panels and to protect the environment. But these things require huge amounts of minerals, and we have to mine them. What do people think about that, and would their perception of those things change?”

The goal of surveys like this would help us understand how to better communicate the importance of critical minerals to the public before policy changes, says Fikru.

“People’s perception and preference are informed by a variety of factors, but what’s the messaging we want to give to achieve a certain goal? We have to understand what people think. We have to understand their pain points and their misconceptions,” Fikru says. “If there are misconceptions, we have to understand their concerns that policy makers would have to address.”