The effect of norms and economic reasoning on support for carbon pricing

Study ID sspp-2022-0042-v1

General Details

Study ID sspp-2022-0042-v1
Study Title The effect of norms and economic reasoning on support for carbon pricing
Authors Stefania Innocenti, Ximeng Fang
Completion Time 10 Minutes
Close Date Nov. 13, 2022
Discipline Economics
Field Environment, Resource And Energy Economics, Behavioral Economics
Country Online (limited countries)
Abstract
Although most economists agree on the importance of carbon pricing for transitioning to a decarbonized economy, policy makers often shy away from Pigouvian policies due to fear of voter backlash. Previous evidence suggests that people often reject carbon pricing because of misperceptions of its effectiveness, and distributional impact. In this case, informing the public about the policy merits could arguably increase policy acceptance. However, individuals may oppose carbon pricing because they believe that other people do not support it or do not approve of this. In this study, we ask: Does policy support respond more strongly to norm-based appeals or the perceived merit of a policy? We run a large-scale online survey experiment with a representative sample of 2,700 U.S. adults. Participants are randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions in a 2x2 design, each receiving different types of information through video interventions.

Citation
Innocenti, Stefania, and Ximeng Fang. 2022. "The effect of norms and economic reasoning on support for carbon pricing." Social Science Prediction Platform. October 13. https://socialscienceprediction.org/s/dzd0xd