Successfully transitioning to decarbonized energy systems requires broad public engagement, yet citizens often remain disconnected from transition goals, including in the Netherlands. In response, message framing has frequently been proposed as a way to enhance engagement. At the same time, environmental psychology research suggests that environmental attitudes and behaviors are shaped by people's personal values, raising doubts about whether framing can work as a one-size-fits-all solution. Drawing on framing, narrative, and value theories, this study examines how narrative-based framing (first-person singular vs. plural point-of-view; gain vs. loss outcomes) may shape audience's energy transition attitudes and behavioral intentions. An online survey experiment ( N = 365) using a 2 × 2 between-subjects design was conducted among Dutch adults. Findings revealed limited direct effects of point-of-view and outcome framing on attitudes and intentions. However, framing effectiveness increased when aligned with audience values; singular perspectives resonated more with self-enhancement-oriented individuals, whereas plural perspectives better aligned with self-transcendence values. Similarly, gain frames were most effective for openness-to-change-oriented values, whereas loss frames resonated more with conservation-oriented individuals. These results underscore the importance of aligning framing with audience values to broaden transition engagement, highlighting that strategic communication efforts must be tailored rather than universally applied. • Narrative framing alone minimally impacts audience responses. • Matching narrative frames to audience values increases their effect. • Framing effects are strongest on attitudes towards the narrative itself.
Lammers et al. (2026) studied this question.