Public Support for Climate Action

Abstract

This panel investigates the societal foundations of climate action by examining when, why, and for whom ambitious climate policies command public support and when they trigger skepticism or backlash. It focuses on how support is structured by political, social, and identity cleavages, and how perceptions of fairness, representation, and democratic legitimacy shape willingness to accept costly measures such as carbon taxation or rapid phase-outs. A key theme is the interaction between policy design and political communication: endorsements by different messengers, as well as the framing of urgency and sacrifice, can either broaden coalitions or inadvertently undermine support by activating distrust, polarization, or perceived threats to democratic norms. The panel also highlights the role of policy feedbacks and distributive instruments in sustaining consent over time, asking whether compensatory or cohesion-oriented policies mitigate opposition by making benefits visible and burdens more acceptable across regions and groups. By linking survey-based evidence, policy feedback approaches, and empirical analyses of transition experiences, the panel offers a nuanced account of how climate policy becomes socially durable or politically fragile. Taken together, the contributions illuminate practical pathways for building stable majorities for decarbonization, emphasizing that effective climate governance depends not only on technical feasibility but on legitimacy, equity, and credible strategies for managing conflict.

Title	Details
Does Climate Action Threaten Democracy? Effects of Carbon Tax Endorsements from Varying Sources in the US and Germany	View Paper Details
Attitudinal Backlash Against the Green Transition: Evidence from the UK Coal Phase-Out	View Paper Details
When Demand for Change Backfires: How Ambitious Messengers Undermine Climate Policy Support	View Paper Details
Friends or Foes? The Impact of Cohesion Policy on Public Support for EU Climate Policy	View Paper Details
The Promise of Green Lead Markets – Interests, Narratives and Actor Coalitions in Germany	View Paper Details