In many countries, energy policies have helped start the move away from natural gas to achieve climate neutrality. Public support for this transition, however, is not unequivocal. This might be because renewable energy policies are not well aligned with individuals' perspectives, namely how renewable energy initiatives: 1) relate to personal needs; 2) align with local communities; and 3) raise or abate doubts. Increasing sensitivity to these perspectives might strengthen support for renewable energy policies and their implementation. To test this, we designed a pre-registered population-based survey experiment set out among a high-quality panel representative of the Dutch population ( n = 4704). Respondents were randomly assigned to a flyer on a municipal transition initiative, in which we varied its sensitivity to individuals' perspectives. We find that an initiative following a straightforward trajectory—emphasizing a step-by-step approach and easy-to-implement solutions—is associated with greater support among the public at large. In addition, we find that those least concerned about climate change and the environment show greater support for the initiative when the flyer depicts it in a practical way—emphasizing the need to reduce the use of natural gas due to high costs and highlighting practical solutions—compared to an abstract way—focusing on reducing CO 2 emissions and considering laws and regulations. We reflect on our study's implications for energy policy, specifically the benefit of considering initiatives that adopt a straightforward trajectory to increase support among the population at large, while at the same time navigating the role of different perspectives among individuals with contrasting levels of environmental concern.
Noordzij et al. (2026) studied this question.