Policy in Hard Times: How Energy Insecurity Shapes Preferences

• In Event: Domestic Contestation of Climate Policy: New Research Frontiers

Abstract

A key question in understanding barriers to environmental policy is whether negative economic conditions crowd out individuals’ support for environmental action. In this context, many European countries are experiencing unprecedented rises in energy prices and inflation, that are leading to significant increases in individuals' costs of living. This paper examines how energy insecurity, the inability to easily meet the costs of household energy, affects policy preferences in this context. Utilising an original survey fielded in the United Kingdom in August 2022, the paper examines the role of retrospective (experience) and prospective (expectations) evaluations of energy insecurity on policy preferences. The results find that support for energy, climate, and social policy depends on individuals' experience and expectations of energy insecurity. Additionally, while compensatory and investment-based policies see similar levels of support in terms of energy policy, compensation is significantly more important in areas of social policy. The results help us understand how energy and climate policy preferences are sensitive to changing economic conditions, as well as its spillover for social policies more broadly.

Author

• Liam F. Beiser-McGrath, London School of Economics and Political Science