Cutting or offsetting emissions: how political ideology shapes consumer preferences for firms’ carbon emission mitigation strategies

As brands increasingly adopt carbon emission mitigation strategies, it remains unclear how consumers respond to these green investments. We categorize these strategies into two types:internal solutions (modifying operational systems to reduce emissions), andexternal solutions (offsetting emissions without altering current systems). Since internal solutions are generally more costly, understanding consumer preferences for these approaches is critical. Three experiments indicate thatliberal consumersprefer brands employing internal (vs. external) solutions, driven by the fit between internal solutions and liberals’ tendency to attribute climate change to their own human activities (internal attribution).In contrast, conservatives exhibit no inherent preference, but show a stronger preference for brands offering internal solutions when these brands provide superior economic value than brands offering external solutions. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring carbon emission mitigation messaging to target markets with different political ideologies, offering practical insights for brands on promoting their green initiatives to maximize appeal across ideological lines.