Purpose – This study aims to examine how public welfare, proxied by the number of national strategic projects, can be influenced by accounting information, which is proxied by net income and audit opinion in financial statements. It investigates the effects of net income and audit opinions on public welfare, as well as the moderating role of stock trading volume in these relationships.

Research methodology – Using data from 134 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) and national statistics on national strategic projects cases from 2019 to 2024, the study applies multiple regression and data panel regression. The analysis is grounded in signaling theory.

Findings – The results show that during the pandemic, post-pandemic, and the new normal period of 2019–2024, the interaction between net income and stock trading volume significantly increases the number of strategic projects, which in turn means that public welfare also improves. Accounting information, when characterized by strong transparency and accountability—as described by signaling theory—plays a vital role in enhancing public welfare.

Research limitations – The study focuses only on Indonesian listed companies during the pandemic and post-pandemic until the new era period. Future research could include other countries and longer time spans.

Practical implications – The results provide insights for regulators to strengthen accounting standards and national strategic project policy.

Originality/Value – This study uniquely identifies the accounting information in affecting public welfare, which is proxied by national strategic projects in Indonesia.