Abstract
To be implementable, climate policies must not only achieve climate goals without unnecessary disruption to economic activity, but must also be socially and politically acceptable. Various interventions to increase policy acceptability have been conducted, but the most effective communication channels and the duration of their effects remain uncertain. This work explores the role of information provision on public acceptability of climate policies and the persistence of these effects over time. We conduct an innovative behavioral experiment featuring a unique feedback mechanism based on real-time macroeconomic model information. Participants first state their acceptance of policies on renewable electricity, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and carbon taxes, and their preferences for recycling carbon tax revenues. They are then informed about the long-term environmental, economic, and equity impacts of their preferences, as predicted by our established general equilibrium model that simulates a country’s economy in its entity. Subsequently, participants can update their preferences. We find that informing the public about the impacts of climate policies significantly increases their acceptance. Providing combined information about three types of impacts (environmental, economic, and equity) is often more effective than information about a single type. Among the various types of information, environmental information is found to be the most influential. Finally, we conduct a follow-up study after six months, and report the conditions under which information provision effects are persistent. This work provides valuable insights into designing and communicating climate policies that are likely to gain long-term social acceptance.
Presenters
Constantine SpandagosAssistant Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Technical, Political, and Social Responses
KEYWORDS
Public Acceptance, Climate Policies, Information Provision, Behavioral Experiment, Renewable Energy
