Uniquement disponible en anglais.
Par Marie Bruguet.
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.