POLISH SOCIETY IN THE LIGHT OF THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

The aim of the study was to determine the attitude of Polish society towards renewable energy sources and identify the benefits posed by actions that use renewable energy sources. A method of diagnostic survey was applied, conducting the study on the representative sample of 1067 respondents. The Statistica 10.1 GB program and the analysis of discriminant function were used in statistical analysis. It was shown that paying conscious attention to saving energy was the most important declaration of Polish society as the best way to save electricity. Polish citizens declared the use of energy-efficient sources of electricity, and in their opinion the greatest chance of use within the renewable energy sources had solar energy. In the opinion of Polish society, the greatest barrier to use the renewable energy sources is the lack of mechanisms supporting the reduction of energy intensity of the economy and the lack of policy coherence for sustainable development in terms of air protection. Additionally, the most important type of support that would encourage investing in the renewable energy sources is to raise funds from the ecological funds and European Union funds. The acquisition of renewable energy sources is highly influenced by the energy policy pursued by individual European Union countries, and the energy future depends on the political will and the capacity of societies to implement appropriate technologies.