This paper aims to provide a perspective on the way scientific evidence collected in times of crises can inform current debates in the literature on energy consumer behaviour, but also the decision-making process. Data such as the one that resulted from our quasi-experimental interventions in Romania during overlapping crises such as the COVID-19 pandemics and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine-affecting energy prices and consumer behaviour. While we acknowledge the well documented challenges of replicating pilot studies based on convenient sampling to full population surveys, we also suggest that the latter are ultimately a feasible and cost-effective measurement of changes in contexts of sudden shocks. Such data collection efforts could become the object of an ongoing multi-stakeholder engagement process leading to better-designed and deployed policies that can deliver much better in both short-term goals (e.g. managing price fluctuations in energy crises) and more medium and long-term scenarios (e.g. just energy transition).

On the backdrop of the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the ensuing energy crisis demanded fast and comprehensive policy responses in all national contexts. Government measures came under political and societal pressure, with a high degree of contestation for their capacity to deliver. Academic literature is reflecting on the nature of decision-making in highly dynamic and convoluted situations pointing out the importance of making citizen's voices noticeable at all levels of knowledge gathering and decision-making. New technologies are especially useful at inquiring citizen's perspectives on the state of the art, policy alternatives, political support, and own behavioral conduct with respect to public decisions or general occurrences. The present article is employing the netnographic methodology to understand public responses to critical energy crisis policies adopted by governments in Norway, Italy, and Romania with respect to households during the most recent energy crisis. With our inductive approach, we aim to understand similarities and differences in public perception and meaningful emerging topics.