Public Support for Climate Change Mitigation Policies: A Cross Country Survey

Author/Editor:

Era Dabla-Norris ; Salma Khalid ; Giacomo Magistretti ; Alexandre Sollaci

Publication Date:

October 27, 2023

Electronic Access:

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Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary:

Building public support for climate mitigation is a key prerequisite to making meaningful strides toward decarbonization and achieving net-zero emissions. Using nationally representative, individual-level surveys for 28 countries, this paper identifies the current levels and drivers of support for climate mitigation policies. Controlling for individual characteristics, we find that pre-existing beliefs about policy efficacy, perceived costs and co-benefits (e.g., cleaner air), and the degree of policy progressivity are important drivers of support for carbon pricing policies. The knowledge gap about climate mitigation policies can be large, but randomized information experiments show that support increases (decreases) after individuals are introduced to new information on the benefits (potential costs) of such policies.

Series:

Working Paper No. 2023/223

Subject:

Frequency:

regular

English

Publication Date:

October 27, 2023

ISBN/ISSN:

9798400258138/1018-5941

Stock No:

WPIEA2023223

Format:

Paper

Pages:

49

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