Stability, change, formation: Insights into the media's role in shaping attitudes toward green hydrogen in Germany

This study uses a multi-method design to investigate the media's role in shaping Germans' attitudes toward green hydrogen. It combines an automatized content analysis of 7649 German newspaper articles published between July 2021 and June 2024 and a three-wave panel survey of the German population conducted between June 2023 and June 2024 with an initial sample of 2701 participants. The findings show that the intensity of media reporting on hydrogen was low compared to other energy-related topics. Nevertheless, participants' assessments of relative topic presence are rather accurate (rho: 0.50–0.80). A considerable number of participants were unable to position themselves toward the potential and challenges of hydrogen (23%–35%). Overall, the results indicate that media and communication tend to stabilize or change existing attitudes rather than contribute to the formation or loss of attitudes, leading to implications for the communication of relevant stakeholders.