Does accident awareness affect people's risk perception of hydrogen infrastructure and information-seeking behaviour?

With increasing concerns about recent hydrogen-related accidents in leading countries applying hydrogen energy, maintaining public trust in hydrogen infrastructure is crucial for advancing energy transitions. This study investigates how individuals aware and unaware of hydrogen-related accidents perceive the risk of hydrogen refuelling facilities in Japan. The comparative analysis reveals that accident awareness significantly increases public apprehension by amplifying perceived accident probabilities and consequences. Specifically, accident-aware individuals value their subjective understanding of hydrogen knowledge more than objective knowledge when it comes to trusting hydrogen technologies. The direct impact of positive affect on alleviating risk perceptions is found to be counteracted by accident awareness. In terms of behavioural outcomes, this study confirms individuals' inclination to seek information based on their perceived risk. People are more eager to acquire risk preparedness information when they perceive the potential consequences of undesired events as significant. In contrast, the perceived likelihood of risk accidents does not exhibit such a significant relationship. The findings offer valuable insights for recognising circumstances in which the communication of risk preparedness initiatives becomes crucial in the aftermath of accidents.