Tailored Information and the Public Support for Carbon Pricing

Abstract

Providing information about carbon pricing is widely considered to be key to increasing public support for it. A number of studies have analyzed such effects, but little attention has been paid to optimizing the effectiveness of the information treatment. Typically, generic information with low affective appeal has been used. In contrast, this paper, drawing on recent research into the design of information provisions, employs a targeted and tailored approach to ensure high receptiveness. Utilizing novel German survey data, we examine whether video-based information tailored to individuals' carbon pricing concerns outperforms generic information. Results confirm that targeted information significantly increases support, primarily for respondents concerned about costs. However, fairness and effectiveness information does not surpass the generic control video. Yet, it reduces strong opposition, providing valuable insights for policy acceptance.

Keywords: Carbon Pricing, Environmental Policies, Policy Acceptance, Policy Communication, Survey Experiment