Bad press, financial difficulties and controversies linked to the absence of an environmental assessment for its battery factory project have cost Northvolt dearly in public opinion, according to a new Léger poll.
“We are in the very negative,” says the vice-president of Léger Marketing, Sébastien Dallaire, somberly.
In fact, only 10% of Quebecers have a positive perception of Northvolt, while 40% of them say they have a negative opinion. Lion Électrique fares better, with one person in five (19%) having a good opinion of it, compared to one person in 4 (24%) having a negative perception.
“People have undoubtedly heard about the liquidity issues at Northvolt. It must have contributed to this result,” muses strategy professor Yan Cimon, in an interview with The Journal.
“And in individual behavior, studies show us that the fear of losing is often stronger than the desire for gain. This means that as soon as there is a loss, there is a strong negative perception associated with it,” he explains.
“Then, in the case of Northvolt, the whole question of the environment and the absence of a BAPE had a significant impact on the psyche of Quebecers.”
Still unknown
We cannot ignore the fact that 50% of respondents declared that they do not know Northvolt or only very little.
For Yan Cimon, this lack of awareness is due to the fact that the Swedish company does not enjoy the same notoriety as more established companies working in the transport electrification sector, such as GM.
“People are more familiar with finished products than with the actors in the supply chain,” explains the professor.
Thus, Mr. Cimon is not surprised by the “skepticism” of the population with regard to public aid to Northvolt.
“It’s healthy to see that the public is questioning the way the government invests state funds. This does not mean that the government should not do it, but it reinforces the idea that it must do it responsibly to guarantee the best possible return for society as a whole,” he concludes.
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