RSI Research Seminar

Join us every other Monday at noon for lunch and a 30-minute research talk, presented by Resnick Sustainability Institute Graduate Fellows and Caltech researchers funded by the Resnick Sustainability Institute. To see the full schedule of speakers, visit the RSI Research Seminar web page. Seminars currently take place in a hybrid format, both in-person (Jorgensen building first-floor conference room) and via Zoom.

Appealing to Independents:  Information on Negative Externalities Increases Support for Environmental Corrective Taxes

Climate change is a critical global challenge requiring urgent action. However, the issue remains deeply polarized, complicating communication and policy-making efforts. A suggested solution is a carbon tax, entailing levies on the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Exploiting the concept of negative externalities, we use a survey experiment to manipulate information about pollution's welfare effects before and after introducing a corrective tax and assess its impact on support for corrective taxes. Our results reveal a notable increase in believing that carbon tax benefits outweigh costs and in choosing higher social welfare as a key goal. Interestingly, treatment effects differ among carbon tax measures, significantly enhancing support for various revenue utilization strategies. Surprisingly, Independents respond most positively, indicating potential shifts from weakly negative to weakly positive positions on climate action. These findings underscore the value of targeting Independents with economic messages to broaden climate change mitigation backing.

For more information and to get the Zoom login info, please reach out to ramonae@caltech.edu