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Public views on carbon taxation and its fairness: a computational-linguistics analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Ivan Savin

    (ICTA, Edifici Z, UAB Campus
    Ural Federal University
    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

  • Stefan Drews

    (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

  • Sara Maestre-Andrés

    (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

  • Jeroen Bergh

    (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
    ICREA
    VU University Amsterdam)

Abstract

Carbon taxes evoke a variety of public responses, often with negative implications for policy support, implementation, and stringency. Here we use topic modeling to analyze associations of Spanish citizens with a policy proposal to introduce a carbon tax. This involves asking two key questions, to elicit (1) citizens’ associations with a carbon tax and (2) their judgment of the fairness of such a policy for distinct uses of tax revenues. We identify 11 topics for the first question and 18 topics for the second. We perform regression analysis to assess how respondents’ associations relate to their carbon tax acceptability, knowledge, and sociodemographic characteristics. The results show that, compared to people accepting the carbon tax, those rejecting it show less trust in politicians, think that the rich should pay more than the poor, consider the tax to be less fair, and stress more a lack of renewable energy or low-carbon transport. Respondents accepting a carbon tax emphasize more the need to solve environmental problems and care about a just society. These insights can help policymakers to improve the design and communication of climate policy with the aim to increase its public acceptability.

Suggested Citation

  • Ivan Savin & Stefan Drews & Sara Maestre-Andrés & Jeroen Bergh, 2020. "Public views on carbon taxation and its fairness: a computational-linguistics analysis," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(4), pages 2107-2138, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:162:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s10584-020-02842-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02842-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    5. Andrea Amado & Koji Kotani & Makoto Kakinaka & Shunsuke Managi, 2023. "Carbon tax for cleaner-energy transition: A vignette experiment in Japan," Working Papers SDES-2023-6, Kochi University of Technology, School of Economics and Management, revised Oct 2023.
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    7. Ewald, Jens & Sterner, Thomas & Sterner, Erik, 2021. "Understanding the Resistance to Carbon Taxes: A Case Study of Sweden," RFF Working Paper Series 21-18, Resources for the Future.
    8. Sterner, Thomas & Ewald, Jens & Sterner, Erik, 2024. "Economists and the climate," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
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    15. Fang, Ximeng & Innocenti, Stefania, 2023. "Increasing the acceptability of carbon taxation: The role of social norms and economic reasoning," INET Oxford Working Papers 2023-25, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
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    19. Izlawanie Muhammad & Norfakhirah Nazihah Mohd Hasnu & Mohd Adha Ibrahim & Suhaila Abdul Hamid & Mustafa Mohd Hanefah, 2022. "Trust in Government and Its Determinants: An Empirical Study of Public Acceptability for Carbon Tax in Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-12, November.
    20. Jessica Birkholz & Jutta Günther & Mariia Shkolnykova, 2021. "Using Topic Modeling in Innovation Studies: The Case of a Small Innovation System under Conditions of Pandemic Related Change," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 2101, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.
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    24. Oskar Lindgren & Erik Elwing & Mikael Karlsson & Sverker C. Jagers, 2024. "Public acceptability of climate-motivated rationing," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.

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