Effect of policy consequentiality on willingness to pay for renewable energy in transport in Quebec

This study investigates the effect of perceived policy consequentiality on individuals’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the expansion of renewable energy in Quebec. To test this, we randomly assigned two versions of a questionnaire to two groups of respondents. The first group was exposed to information emphasizing the policy consequentiality of the Quebec government, while the second group was exposed to that of oil companies and service stations. The results indicate that individuals who perceive policies as consequential report a significantly higher WTP than those who do not. Furthermore, respondents who view the Quebec government’s policies as consequential exhibit a higher WTP than those who consider oil companies’ policies as consequential, suggesting greater public confidence in the government’s ability to implement renewable energy expansion. An additional noteworthy finding is the presence of a “knife-edge” effect, whereby respondents who perceive policy consequentiality show substantially higher WTP compared to their counterparts who do not.