Acceptance factors of hydrogen and their use by relevant stakeholders and the media

•Energy storage is frequently used in H2 communication, but cannot affect acceptance.•Less well-known arguments (=reframes) have great potential to change people's minds.•Independence and decentralization are promising arguments for H2 communication.•We find noticeably different thematic priorities of stakeholder documents and media.•Specific framing of H2 is necessary to overcome its vague image, but was on low level.

Hydrogen is essential for future energy supply, but it currently has a niche existence resulting from a vague public profile. To gain broad support, a specific image of hydrogen has to be established in which its concrete benefits for everyday life are provided. This study focuses on communication related to hydrogen in Germany. We have combined results from a representative survey that focuses on acceptance, an analysis of German news media and an analysis of stakeholder communication material to identify arguments commonly and seldom used. An argument used frequently in media and communication material as to the benefits of hydrogen is its ability to store (surplus) energy. However, an awareness of this advantage has no significant influence on hydrogen acceptance. Instead, advantages such as independence from central power grid or potential of decentralization proved to be significant determinants, but these occurred less frequently in stakeholder documents and media. The use of less well-known and more specific arguments seems to be more effective regarding the influence on hydrogen acceptance.