Examining the effects of gasoline prices on public support for climate policies

Successful implementation of climate policies requires public acceptability. Fuel prices may impact policy support. Here we examine this relationship by analysing retail gasoline prices and individual-level survey data from Italian and US metropolitan areas. We do not find a significant association...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature energy 2024-02, Vol.9 (2), p.219-227
Main Authors: Hernandez Carballo, Ireri, Sisco, Matthew Ryan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
706/4066/4065
706/4066/4076
706/4066/4078
706/4066/4098
706/689/694/682
Acceptability
Automobiles
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide emissions
Climate policy
Economic development
Economic growth
Economics and Management
Energy
Energy Policy
Energy research
Energy Storage
Energy Systems
Environmental policy
Environmental protection
Fossil fuels
Gasoline
Gasoline prices
Metropolitan areas
Policies
Renewable and Green Energy
Renewable energy
Surveys
Taxation
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Summary:Successful implementation of climate policies requires public acceptability. Fuel prices may impact policy support. Here we examine this relationship by analysing retail gasoline prices and individual-level survey data from Italian and US metropolitan areas. We do not find a significant association between gasoline prices and support for funding renewable energy research, regulating CO 2 emissions or requiring companies to pay carbon taxes. We do find that support for phasing out combustion-engine cars decreases when gasoline prices increase. In exploratory analyses, we find that lower-income and more liberal individuals reduce their support more as gasoline prices rise. Using an additional US nationally representative survey dataset, we find that higher gasoline prices are associated with lower support for environmental protection when it comes at the risk of curving economic growth. The negative effects of gasoline prices on climate policy support do not seem driven by reduced environmental concerns. Gasoline prices have increasingly become a focus of attention for climate policy. This study uses survey and retail gasoline price data to explore associations between gasoline prices and public acceptability of different climate policies, finding in part that support for phasing out fossil fuel-powered cars decreases when prices rise.
ISSN:2058-7546
2058-7546
DOI:10.1038/s41560-024-01449-2