Energy saving is now an important component of China's energy policy. This paper reports the findings of a survey carried out in 2009 and 2010 of 246 citizens at different locations in the municipality of Chongqing in order to reveal information about attitudes towards energy and energy saving in the context of household electrical appliances. This study shows that citizens in Chongqing receive relatively little information and guidance on how to save energy in the home and that their stated level of knowledge on this subject is also rather limited. Respondents showed some willingness to save energy as long as this did not reduce their comfort and convenience, and they appeared likely to respond to economic incentives, such as high electricity prices or discounts on appliances. But they seemed to be unaware of the potential for information to help them save energy. The survey also demonstrated a high degree of heterogeneity across society with respect to sources of information and trust in those sources and with respect to attitudes to energy saving at home. These results show that the government needs to substantially adjust its strategies for promoting household energy saving. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.