In person icon Climate Policy, Public Opinion, and Political Attitudes (I)

Abstract

Public opinion plays a crucial role in shaping climate policy, influencing both political decision-making and the broader societal acceptance of environmental measures. However, attitudes toward climate policies are shaped by a variety of factors, including risk perceptions, economic interests, ideological orientations, and local or regional concerns. While some citizens support ambitious climate action, others resist policies due to economic anxieties, fairness concerns, or political narratives that frame environmental initiatives as threats. Understanding the dynamics behind public attitudes is key to designing climate policies that are both effective and politically viable. This panel and the panel Climate Policy, Public Opinion, and Political Attitudes (II) explore the complexities of public opinion and political attitudes toward climate policies. While this first panel focuses more on the structural and ideological underpinnings of public opinion, such as regional economic conditions, second-order beliefs, and far-right narratives, the second panel delves deeper into questions of fairness, framing effects, and polarisation. Papers in this session (I) investigate public resistance to nuclear waste disposal ("Not in my backyard" vs. "Not in our backyard"), the impact of local knowledge economies on climate policy support, and the role of second-order beliefs in shaping climate politics in Europe. Papers further examine whether regional compensation mechanisms can increase public support for carbon taxes in Austria, and how the Spanish far-right constructs disaster narratives around flooding in the Valencian Community to push back against climate policies. Together, the two panels provide a comprehensive understanding of the public’s role in shaping climate action and policy design.

Title	Details
“Not in My Backyard” or “Not in Our Backyard”? Public Opinion on Nuclear Waste	View Paper Details
Green by Knowledge? How Local Knowledge Economies Shape Support for Climate Action	View Paper Details
Can Regional Compensation Mechanisms Increase Support for Carbon Taxes? Evidence from Austria	View Paper Details
How Second-Order Beliefs Influence Climate Politics in Europe	View Paper Details
'Climate Fanaticism Kills': The Spanish Far-Right’s ‘Disaster Narratives’ on Flooding in the Valencian Community	View Paper Details