Public support for universal road pricing

Distance-based road pricing can internalize driving externalities and provide fiscally sustainable infrastructure financing as vehicle electrification erodes fuel tax revenues. Yet, political resistance may pose a barrier to implementation. We provide the first comprehensive analysis of preferences for universal road pricing using a stated choice experiment with nearly 4000 Norwegian respondents. Policy alternatives vary systematically across urban peak prices, off-peak prices, non-urban prices, electric vehicle prices, and revenue allocation. We document robust majority support (70% to 80%) for most universal road pricing schemes, substantially exceeding typical support for local congestion charges. Support varies by design: public transport earmarking outperforms general budget allocation by eight percentage points, while moderate pricing dominates high pricing by six points. Support varies substantially with car use, urban versus rural residence, availability of transport alternatives, and institutional trust, but shows little sensitivity to income, toll exposure, or the likelihood of benefiting financially from road pricing. Latent class analysis identifies unconditional supporters (57%), systematic opponents (22%), and a persuadable middle (21%). Randomized information treatments generate modest effects, with factual information increasing support by 6 percentage points. Political barriers to road pricing may be lower than assumed with low to moderate pricing and credible infrastructure earmarking.