Combining Climate, Economic, and Social Policy Builds Political Support for Climate Action in the US

75 Pages Posted: 8 Nov 2019

See all articles by Parrish Bergquist

Parrish Bergquist

Georgetown University - McCourt School of Public Policy; Yale University; University of Pennsylvania

Matto Mildenberger

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) - Department of Political Science

Leah Stokes

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) - Department of Political Science

Date Written: October 29, 2019

Abstract

Despite the gravity of the climate threat, governments around the world have struggled to pass and implement climate policies. Today, politicians and advocates are championing a new idea: linking climate policy to other economic and social reforms. Will this approach generate greater public support for climate action? Here, we test this coalition-building strategy. Using two conjoint experiments on a representative sample of 2,476 Americans, we evaluate the marginal impact of 40 different climate, social, and economic policies on support for climate reforms. Overall, we find climate policy bundles that include social and economic reforms such as affordable housing, a $15 minimum wage, or a job guarantee increase US public support for climate mitigation. Clean energy standards, regardless of what technologies are included, also make climate policy more popular. Linking climate policy to economic and social issues is particularly effective at expanding climate policy support among people of color.

Suggested Citation

Bergquist, Parrish and Mildenberger, Matto and Stokes, Leah, Combining Climate, Economic, and Social Policy Builds Political Support for Climate Action in the US (October 29, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3477525 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3477525

Parrish Bergquist (Contact Author)

Georgetown University - McCourt School of Public Policy ( email )

Old North, Suite 100
37th & O Streets NW
Washington, DC 20057
United States

Yale University ( email )

493 College St
New Haven, CT CT 06520
United States

University of Pennsylvania ( email )

Philiadelphia, PA
United States

Matto Mildenberger

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) - Department of Political Science ( email )

Dept. of Political Science
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9420
United States

Leah Stokes

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) - Department of Political Science ( email )

Dept. of Political Science
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9420
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
274
Abstract Views
1,689
Rank
202,099
PlumX Metrics