Curious to dive deeper into the findings? For a comprehensive analysis and detailed insights, read the full research paper.
By Raul Duarte
How can a deeper understanding of attitudes towards climate change policies influence policymakers globally?
This question is central to a recent study conducted by CID faculty affiliate Stefanie Stantcheva and co-authors Antoine Dechezlepretre, Adrien Fabre, Tobias Kruse, Bluebery Planterose, and Ana Sanchez Chico. Their recent paper, Fighting Climate Change: International Attitudes Toward Climate Policies, examines global attitudes toward climate change and climate policies, identifying key factors that shape public support.
By using a large-scale survey of 40,000 respondents across 20 countries, the study analyzes perceptions of climate policies, concerns about distributional consequences, and the effectiveness of informational interventions in shifting public opinion.
Key Findings:
- Determinants of Policy Support: Three core beliefs predict support for climate policies: the perceived effectiveness of the policy in reducing emissions, its distributional impact on low-income household, and its effect on the respondent’s own household. Concern about climate change alone does not strongly predict support for policies.
- Variation in Policy Preferences: People prefer climate policies perceived as both effective and equitable. Investment programs in green infrastructure and subsidies for low-carbon technologies receive broad support, while carbon taxes are more accepted when paired with progressive revenue redistribution. Regulations, such as bans on polluting vehicles, are often more popular than taxes, which are perceived as unfairly allowing the wealthy to "pay to pollute."
- Effects of Information Interventions: Informing people about climate change’s dangers increases willingness to take individual action, such as signing petitions or donating to environmental causes, but does little to shift support for policies. However, providing information on how specific policies work—explaining their effectiveness and distributional impacts—significantly increases support, particularly for carbon taxes with revenue redistribution and bans on combustion-engine vehicles.
Policy Impact and Relevance:
This study provides critical insights into the political feasibility of climate policies and highlights why some interventions face public resistance despite widespread concern about climate change. The findings suggest that policymakers should prioritize policies that are not only effective but also perceived as fair, particularly in their impact on low-income groups. Additionally, public education efforts should focus on explaining how policies work rather than simply emphasizing the severity of climate change.
The results also have implications for international climate action. Support for climate policies varies significantly across countries, with middle-income nations often expressing higher enthusiasm for regulations and investment-based solutions. These differences highlight the importance of tailoring climate policies to local economic conditions and public perceptions.
At a broader level, the research underscores the role of strategic communication in climate policy advocacy. By addressing concerns about fairness and economic impact, well-designed informational campaigns can increase acceptance of necessary but politically challenging measures, such as carbon pricing. As climate action becomes increasingly urgent, understanding how to align policy design with public opinion will be crucial for achieving global emissions reductions.
CID Faculty Affiliate Author
CID Faculty Affiliate Author
Stefanie Stantcheva is the Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard and founder of the . She studies the taxation of firms and individuals, as well as how people understand, perceive, and form their attitudes towards public policies. Her work has centered around the long-lasting effects of tax policy – on innovation, education, and wealth. She also explores people’s attitudes towards taxation, health care, immigration policies, environmental policies, and social mobility using large-scale social economics surveys and experiments.
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