Preferences for Policies from the Perspectives of Different Generations: Evidence from a Stated Choice Experiment in Japan

Although policy choices can impact not only the present but future generations, only the present generation can make such choices. If a policy imposes a burden on future generations, will the present generation consider the policy's impact on future generations when making a choice? In response to this intergenerational social dilemma, numerous empirical studies have shown that when asked to imagine themselves as a future generation, the present generation's participation in resource distribution decision-making is significantly impacted for decisions that consider future generations; moreover, local governments in Japan have made efforts that use this methodology as a social practice (Saijo, 2022). In this study, we aim to clarify what is needed for future generations to be considered by analyzing the respondents' policy preferences using an online stated choice experiment survey. The respondents were assigned different generational standpoints and were asked to choose their favorite of three policy packages, each of which comprised several policies. The results show that, in general, respondents tended to avoid placing direct burdens on the present generation, regardless of the generation they represented. However, respondents who took their children and grandchildren's standpoints tended to prefer policies that would not burden future generations. In addition, respondents with prosocial tendencies made choices that focused on future generations.