Can media influence public support for carbon capture and storage? Comparing the impacts of frames in Denmark

Governments worldwide are turning to climate technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the successful implementation of CCS is intricately connected to public perception and support. Local protests have already impeded CCS projects in several countries. We conduct a media content analysis of nine major Danish newspapers to develop two CCS frames with different orientations: “enthusiastic” and “critical.” Subsequently, we use a randomized survey experiment on a broadly representative sample of Danes (n = 1021) to evaluate the effects of these frames on public attitudes toward CCS. Our findings show that a critical CCS frame significantly diminishes both general support for CCS and support for investments in CCS relative to other CO2 reduction initiatives. The framing effects are significantly influenced by environmental attitudes and prior CCS knowledge but not by general attitudes toward technology. These results emphasize the importance and relevance of framing for decision-makers and climate change actors.