Unfairness is a bigger barrier to environmental tax support than cost
Author Information
Author(s): Magnus Bergquist
Primary Institution: University of Gothenburg
Hypothesis
To what extent do high costs, ineffectiveness, and unfairness constrain support for environmental taxes?
Conclusion
Perceived unfairness is a stronger barrier to supporting environmental taxes than costs or ineffectiveness.
Supporting Evidence
- Perceived unfairness was found to be a stronger barrier to support than both cost and ineffectiveness.
- Support for unfair tax proposals was significantly lower compared to fair proposals.
- Participants modified tax proposals to increase fairness, leading to higher support.
Takeaway
People are more likely to support environmental taxes if they think those taxes are fair, rather than just cheap or effective.
Methodology
Four experiments were conducted where participants rated their support for different environmental tax proposals that varied in cost, effectiveness, and fairness.
Potential Biases
The operationalization of unfairness may favor a liberal interpretation of fairness.
Limitations
The study may not have been sufficiently powered to detect effects of costly and ineffective policies, and the stimulus material has not been validated.
Participant Demographics
Participants were primarily from the USA, with a mix of genders and political preferences leaning slightly liberal.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
[0.01, 0.10]
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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