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Natural disasters and preferences for the environment: Evidence from the impressionable years

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  • Falco, Chiara
  • Corbi, Raphael

Abstract

Can preferences for the environment be shaped? In line with the theories of social psychology, we show that natural disasters experienced during early adulthood induce pro-environmental attitudes. We support our findings by exploiting yearly natural disaster variation both within the US and across a sample of 102 countries whose citizens experience disasters at different points in time.

Suggested Citation

  • Falco, Chiara & Corbi, Raphael, 2023. "Natural disasters and preferences for the environment: Evidence from the impressionable years," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:222:y:2023:i:c:s0165176522004207
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2022.110946
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Beliefs formation; Natural disasters; Environmental policy; Impressionable years;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P18 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Energy; Environment
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Z18 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Public Policy
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General

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