When Words Save Watts: Government Communication and Household Electricity Use

Marie Bruguet ()
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Marie Bruguet: LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CEC - Chaire Economie du Climat - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres

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Abstract: A central question for policymakers is whether communication can serve as an effective demand-side instrument. This paper studies France's 2022–23 energy crisis, when reduced nuclear availability and surging prices led the government to launch one of Europe's largest conservation campaigns. Drawing on more than 12,000 official communications, narrative-specific attention indices from Google searches, and tariff-disaggregated electricity data, the analysis traces the channel from communication to attention to demand. Crisis-framed messages captured attention and reduced consumption, while generic conservation appeals had little effect. Communication thus enhances demand flexibility under scarcity but cannot substitute for prices or operational measures.

Keywords: lectricity consumption; Government communication; Behavioral response (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-10-23
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05294058v2
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