The 2022 energy crisis, triggered by the war in Ukraine, led to energy price surges and large-scale energy-saving campaigns across Europe. While energy demand reduction was observed, the crisis's impact on citizens' climate-relevant judgments and decisions remained unclear. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the effects of the energy crisis on three key outcomes: (1) support for renewable energy policies, (2) energy literacy (the ability to accurately assess energy savings from various actions), and (3) energy-efficient product choices. The study hypothesized that the energy crisis would influence energy-efficiency preferences and energy literacy, but that support for renewable energy policies would remain stable. The study's significance lies in its longitudinal design, using a natural experiment to understand how these outcomes evolved across periods of high and low public attention to the crisis, coupled with real-world energy price data for a more nuanced understanding. The research addresses a crucial gap in knowledge about public perceptions and behavior during energy crises, which is pivotal for successful climate change mitigation and the energy transition.

Prior research indicated stable or even increased public support for renewable energy policies in mid-2022 following the Russian invasion. However, public support can be volatile, potentially shifting due to competing societal issues such as inflation. Studies have highlighted the importance of energy literacy for energy-efficient choices, yet research on how this literacy changes during significant societal events was lacking. Existing research also emphasizes the influence of energy price signals on consumer purchasing decisions, particularly during periods of drastic price changes. The study builds upon these findings to investigate the dynamic interplay between these factors during the energy crisis.

A two-wave representative survey experiment was conducted in Germany and Switzerland (N = 1040) during November/December 2022 (Wave 1) and March/April 2023 (Wave 2). Participants completed tasks assessing renewable energy policy support, energy literacy, and product choices. **Renewable Energy Policy Support:** A 16-trial binary choice task evaluated participants' acceptance or rejection of renewable energy policy proposals, varying in implementation time, CO2 reduction potential, energy independence potential, and tax increases. **Energy Literacy:** Participants estimated energy savings (kWh) for eight household actions, generating an energy literacy score. **Energy-Efficient Product Choices:** A choice task presented seven trade-off decisions between products with varying energy efficiency and prices. **Data Integration:** In Switzerland, experimental data were coupled with municipal-level energy price data to assess the impact of real-world price changes on energy-efficient choices. **Media and Public Attention:** Media and internet search data were analyzed to track changes in public attention towards the energy crisis across the two waves. Additional measures assessed fear, anger, interest, and energy expense concerns related to the crisis. **Statistical Analyses:** Mixed effects logistic and linear regressions were employed to analyze policy support, energy literacy, and product choices, considering the effects of various factors such as climate change concern, numeracy, and energy price changes. The analyses controlled for demographic variables (age, gender, income, education).

The study revealed several key findings: 1. **Stable Support for Renewable Energy Policies:** Despite decreased public attention to the energy crisis between the two waves, support for renewable energy policies remained stable in both countries. All policy attributes (tax increases, implementation time, CO2 reduction, energy independence) significantly predicted policy support in both waves, with tax increases exerting the strongest influence. The importance assigned to specific policy attributes also remained consistent. 2. **Influence of Climate Change Concern:** Individuals with higher climate change concern exhibited greater support for renewable energy policies and assigned higher importance to policies' CO2 reduction potential. They also showed stronger preference for rapid policy implementation compared to those with lower climate change concern. 3. **Energy Literacy and its Limitations:** While participants considered action impact in their energy-saving estimates, they consistently underestimated high-impact actions and overestimated low-impact actions. No overall improvement in judgment accuracy was observed between waves. However, changes in energy literacy were contingent upon participants' numeracy levels; the gap in energy literacy between those with high and low numerical abilities widened in Switzerland (where national energy-saving campaigns were more extensive) but not in Germany. In Switzerland, energy literacy decreased for individuals with low numeracy. 4. **Energy-Efficient Product Choices:** Individuals with higher energy literacy were more likely to choose energy-efficient products, particularly when the energy efficiency difference between products was substantial. Climate change concern also positively predicted energy-efficient product choices, especially when energy efficiency differences were significant. 5. **Impact of Energy Price Increases:** Overall, energy-efficient product choices declined between Wave 1 and Wave 2. However, in Switzerland, this decline was less pronounced among individuals experiencing substantial energy price increases. Those with modest price increases showed a more significant decrease in energy-efficient choices.

The study's findings demonstrate that public support for renewable energy policies can remain robust even during economic downturns and reduced public attention to the energy crisis. The consistent influence of policy attributes on support suggests that policymakers should prioritize transparent and cost-effective policies with rapid implementation to maintain public backing. The observed decline in energy-efficient product choices highlights the importance of maintaining the salience of energy efficiency. While governmental campaigns can be effective, they may differentially impact people with varying numerical abilities. Therefore, tailored communication strategies considering individual differences in numeracy are crucial. The findings emphasize the interplay between contextual conditions (energy prices, public attention) and individual-level factors (energy literacy, climate change concern) in shaping energy-related judgments and decisions.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the 2022/2023 energy crisis on energy-related judgments and decisions. Public support for renewable energy policies remained remarkably stable, while energy-efficient product choices were influenced by both the salience of the crisis and actual energy price increases. Energy literacy gaps persisted, particularly among individuals with lower numeracy. Future research should explore the effectiveness of targeted communication strategies to bridge these gaps and promote sustained energy-efficient behavior. Further longitudinal studies with more waves of data are needed to strengthen the causal inferences.

The two-wave design limits the ability to draw definitive causal conclusions. While the study controlled for several factors, other external influences (war-related anxiety, seasonal effects, inflation) may have influenced results. Findings may not fully generalize to other countries with different cultural, political, and economic contexts. The study focused on stated preferences rather than actual purchasing behavior. Future research integrating real-world purchase data would provide a more complete picture.