Variation in Cookstove Demand: Age and Education Effects in Northern Ghana

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/8c97kq61x

Abstract

Nearly three billion people depend on solid fuels for their daily energy needs. Burning these energy sources in open fires damages human and environmental health. Improved cookstove interventions, however, have the potential to reduce harmful emissions and better health and livelihoods. Yet, not all interventions have been successful. Previous research demonstrates that successful interventions utilize stoves amenable to local cultural and socioeconomic conditions. In this work, I investigate the role that age and education play on the use of three different “tiers” of stove technologies in Northern Ghana. I find that older stove users prefer familiar cooking technologies, while more educated users are partial to the highest technology stove available to them. Results for the medium tier stove show that stove use is higher among less educated users. The findings presented combine regression analysis on available survey data with an investigation of text-based survey responses.

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