From climate crisis to energy crisis: foster public support for renewable energy transition through framing

Catherine Y. Chen; Verena Benoit; Lorraine Whitmarsh; Cäzilia Loibl

doi:10.1080/09644016.2025.2543622

From climate crisis to energy crisis: foster public support for renewable energy transition through framing

Catherine Y. Chen
, Verena Benoit
, Lorraine Whitmarsh
, Cäzilia Loibl

Hamilton College
University of Bamberg
Ohio State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Under the long-standing backdrop of the climate crisis, would communication about acute energy crises encourage the public’s support for policies facilitating the adoption of renewable energy technologies? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we conducted a survey experiment in the United Kingdom (N = 2,760) in early 2024 to test the effects of three messages (energy affordability, energy independence, climate change vs. control) aimed to encourage support for renewable adoption policies. We find that across all respondents, the climate-change and energy-affordability messages increase policy support, while the effect of the energy-independence message is nonsignificant. The energy independence message increased policy support among the political center-right but not among the political left; it also increased policy support among those not concerned about climate change, but not among the climate-concerned. Contrary to expectations, the energy affordability message increased policy support among moderate-to-high-income respondents but not low-income respondents.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	998-1022
Journal	Environmental Politics
Volume	35
Issue number	5
Early online date	5 Sept 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2025.2543622
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 5 Sept 2025

Data Availability Statement

Data available on request from the authors.

Acknowledgements

We thank Philipp Schroeder, Alexander Wuttke, Sara Constantino, colloquium participants at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Hamilton College, and University of Bamberg, anonymous reviewers at Environmental Politics, and the editor for their thoughtful comments and suggestions.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

energy affordability
Energy crisis
energy independence
framing
renewable energy transition

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Sociology and Political Science

Access to Document

10.1080/09644016.2025.2543622

Cite this

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title = "From climate crisis to energy crisis: foster public support for renewable energy transition through framing",

abstract = "Under the long-standing backdrop of the climate crisis, would communication about acute energy crises encourage the public{\textquoteright}s support for policies facilitating the adoption of renewable energy technologies? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we conducted a survey experiment in the United Kingdom (N = 2,760) in early 2024 to test the effects of three messages (energy affordability, energy independence, climate change vs. control) aimed to encourage support for renewable adoption policies. We find that across all respondents, the climate-change and energy-affordability messages increase policy support, while the effect of the energy-independence message is nonsignificant. The energy independence message increased policy support among the political center-right but not among the political left; it also increased policy support among those not concerned about climate change, but not among the climate-concerned. Contrary to expectations, the energy affordability message increased policy support among moderate-to-high-income respondents but not low-income respondents.",

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T2 - foster public support for renewable energy transition through framing

AU - Chen, Catherine Y.

AU - Benoit, Verena

AU - Whitmarsh, Lorraine

AU - Loibl, Cäzilia

PY - 2025/9/5

Y1 - 2025/9/5

N2 - Under the long-standing backdrop of the climate crisis, would communication about acute energy crises encourage the public’s support for policies facilitating the adoption of renewable energy technologies? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we conducted a survey experiment in the United Kingdom (N = 2,760) in early 2024 to test the effects of three messages (energy affordability, energy independence, climate change vs. control) aimed to encourage support for renewable adoption policies. We find that across all respondents, the climate-change and energy-affordability messages increase policy support, while the effect of the energy-independence message is nonsignificant. The energy independence message increased policy support among the political center-right but not among the political left; it also increased policy support among those not concerned about climate change, but not among the climate-concerned. Contrary to expectations, the energy affordability message increased policy support among moderate-to-high-income respondents but not low-income respondents.

AB - Under the long-standing backdrop of the climate crisis, would communication about acute energy crises encourage the public’s support for policies facilitating the adoption of renewable energy technologies? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we conducted a survey experiment in the United Kingdom (N = 2,760) in early 2024 to test the effects of three messages (energy affordability, energy independence, climate change vs. control) aimed to encourage support for renewable adoption policies. We find that across all respondents, the climate-change and energy-affordability messages increase policy support, while the effect of the energy-independence message is nonsignificant. The energy independence message increased policy support among the political center-right but not among the political left; it also increased policy support among those not concerned about climate change, but not among the climate-concerned. Contrary to expectations, the energy affordability message increased policy support among moderate-to-high-income respondents but not low-income respondents.

KW - energy affordability

KW - Energy crisis

KW - energy independence

KW - framing

KW - renewable energy transition

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From climate crisis to energy crisis: foster public support for renewable energy transition through framing

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Acknowledgements

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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