Striking a chord or missing the beat: Citizen perspectives on narrative resonance and value alignment in the Dutch energy transition

Despite ambitious emission reduction policies, many Dutch citizens remain disconnected from the national energy transition, limiting necessary civic engagement. While effective narration has been shown to matter for public resonance with the energy transition, little research addresses how resonance barriers may be shaped by citizens' own perceptions. To bridge this gap, this qualitative study analyzed value-sensitive interviews with a cross-section of Dutch citizenry. Results revealed four resonance barriers: overly technical language, perceived unfairness in responsibility distribution, inconsistent policy messaging, and skepticism toward renewable technologies. These barriers appeared to reflect tensions between narrative congruence, coherence, narrator trustworthiness, and audience values, particularly universalism, stimulation, security, achievement, and self-direction. Participants proposed simplified language, equitable burden-sharing, clear policy directions, and transparent renewable energy evidence as solutions aligned with their values. By highlighting how audience values may shape narrative resonance, this study emphasizes the need for more value-sensitive approaches to communication for supporting public engagement with the energy transition.