Factors and framing effects in support for net zero policies in the United Kingdom

Wouter Poortinga; Lorraine Whitmarsh; Katharine Steentjes; Emily Gray; Sophie Thompson; Rachel Brisley

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1287188

Factors and framing effects in support for net zero policies in the United Kingdom

Front Psychol. 2023 Dec 15:14:1287188. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1287188. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wouter Poortinga^{1

2}, Lorraine Whitmarsh³, Katharine Steentjes⁴, Emily Gray⁵, Sophie Thompson⁵, Rachel Brisley⁵

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
² Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
³ Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.
⁴ School of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.
⁵ Ipsos UK, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Achieving ambitious carbon reduction targets requires transformative change to society, with behaviour change playing an important role. Climate change mitigation ('net zero') policies are needed to accelerate and support such behaviour change. This study examined factors and framing effects in public support for net zero policies in the United Kingdom (UK), making use of a large probability sample (n_total = 5,665) survey conducted in August 2021. It found that net zero policies are widely supported, with only taxes on red meat and dairy products being supported by less than half of the UK public. Climate worry and perceived fairness were the strongest and most consistent predictors of policy support for net zero policies. The results further suggest that support for net zero policies can be increased by emphasising the co-benefits of the policies, in particular where they are beneficial for health. However, the framing effects were very small. In contrast, public support for net zero policies is lower when potential lifestyle and financial costs are mentioned. This suggests that perceived fairness of the distribution of costs and lifestyle implications of policies are crucial for building and maintaining support for net zero.

Keywords: climate change; framing effects; net zero; perceived fairness; policy support.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. We acknowledge support from the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) through the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), Grant Ref: ES/S012257/1. The research was conducted as part of the Ipsos-CAST Climate Engagement Partnership.