Public support for more ambitious climate policies: Empirical evidence from Germany

To reach the goals of the Paris Agreement more ambitious climate policies will need to be implemented. In an experimental survey with a representative sample, we investigate how a change from existing climate policies to more ambitious policies drives public support. Using different descriptions of policies, we demonstrate that in general, more ambitious policies reduce public support. This effect is stronger if the focus is on an increase of carbon prices compared to a focus on a policy mix to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Economic preferences (i.e., reciprocity, trust, risk and patience) and other individual characteristics (e.g., experience of recent hazards, belief in climate change) as well as regional characteristics (i.e., Eastern Germany, macro-economic indicators, cohesion policies, and climate change) are substantially correlated with public support. This demonstrates challenges for the communication of tighter climate policies and underlines the need to address an audience with heterogeneous preferences and diverse regional backgrounds.