Delivering an Energy Export Transition: Impact of Conflicting and Competing Informational Contexts on Public Acceptance of Australia's Hydrogen Export Industry

This study uses an online quasi-experiment with a national sample from Australia to evaluate public acceptance of hydrogen exports. It explores the complex communications environment that messaging about hydrogen exports is typically encountered in. We find that acceptance of green hydrogen exports is significantly higher than blue or brown hydrogen exports, and acceptance of blue hydrogen exports higher than brown hydrogen exports. Additionally, results show economic-framed benefit messages are associated with lesser public acceptance when encountered in communication contexts that outline differently-focused environmental downsides (competing contexts), but not same-focused economic downsides (conflicting contexts). In contrast, environment-framed benefit messages are associated with lesser public acceptance when presented in communication contexts that outline same-focused environmental downsides (conflicting contexts), but not differentlyfocused economic downsides (competing contexts). Overall, the study indicates message framing can impact acceptance of hydrogen exports, and that organisations should consider the informational context within which their communications will be received.