Acceptance of Just Transition Policies in Climate Action among High-Emission Workers and Non-Workers

• In Event: Determinants of Environmental Preferences and Advocacy in Advanced Industrial Societies

Abstract

Economic concerns, especially job security, are fueling opposition to carbon pricing policies. While the policy community broadly recognizes the concerns of economically vulnerable groups, discussions often focus on compensating workers in high-emission sectors. This approach raises questions about the sentiments of the broader voter base, including the unemployed and retirees, who constitute 20-30% of the working-age population in many countries. This study uses surveys from five advanced industrial countries—Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the U.S.—to assess acceptance of carbon policies, both with and without labor compensations, across various employment statuses. It also examines how political ideology, a known predictor of support for climate policy, influences acceptance across these groups. Preliminary results from the UK indicate that the political left consistently supports carbon policies more than the right, irrespective of employment status. However, carbon pricing schemes paired with labor compensations receive higher overall support than standalone carbon taxes across all ideological groups and employment statuses, including those not employed, thereby narrowing the ideological divide in policy support. Notably, and as expected, non-employed right-leaning individuals are the least supportive of all groups, highlighting a challenging area for policy focus to enhance both policy acceptance and social cohesion. The proposed panel will be the first occasion to present the results of our cross-national study, where case countries were chosen for their distinct profiles based on fossil fuel reliance and social welfare spending. We will assess whether these two country characteristics affect individual views on carbon pricing and just transition measures, especially when they are paired.

Authors

• Aya Kachi, University of Basel / KAPSARC School of Public Policy

• Manuel Ebner, University of Basel

• Simon Andres Montfort, University of Bern

• Ngoc Nhu Quynh Nguyen, Vienna University of Economics and Business