Understanding public acceptability of climate policies in Europe

Urgent and decisive government action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions is more likely when the proposed measures are popular among the public. This paper compares the drivers of European public support for three alternative policies to combat climate change: carbon taxation, renewable energy subsidies, and minimum energy efficiency standards that apply to household appliances. We combine survey data with regional socio-economic and environmental indicators to provide a comprehensive, comparative analysis of policy acceptance that accounts for the geographic context in which these policies would be implemented. By comparing the drivers among three climate policies, we identify a rural-urban gap in predicting public perception of carbon taxation, which does not exist in the other policies. We also found a positive relationship between regional exposure to fine particular matter (PM2.5) and public support for climate policy, providing novel insights into the influence of environmental factors on public perceptions. This research highlights the importance of environmental and socio-economic context in predicting climate policy acceptance and offers valuable implications for policymakers seeking to garner public support for effective climate change mitigation strategies.PM2.5 exposure is positively related to European public support for renewable energy subsidies and minimum energy efficiency standards, but not with public support for carbon taxation.European governments need to increase public confidence in the political system to win public support for a carbon tax.A stronger macroeconomic situation, possibly by mitigating concerns about the economic costs of a carbon tax, is positively correlated to the public acceptability of carbon taxation.Rural residents, who are more dependent on fossil fuels and have higher electricity demands, are more likely to oppose increased fossil fuel taxes.Older people tend to favour minimum energy efficiency standards over other climate policies.