Impact of ideology on individuals’ attitudes to a climate-motivated tax on food

The expanding field of public acceptance consistently shows left-leaning ideology as a predictor of support for many climate policy instruments. However, little work has been done to investigate the indirect links between ideology and policy-specific beliefs like perceived fairness, effectiveness and infringement on personal freedom on policy acceptance. Of this work, none pertain specifically to taxes that target greenhouse gas emissions from food consumption, called climate-motivated food taxes (CMF tax). CMF taxes are useful for studying the factors underlying ideology because they intersect with changing personal behaviour, which especially triggers ideological concerns. Moreover, CMF taxes appear to be an effective way to curb emissions stemming from the production of animal products, primarily beef and dairy, which are responsible for nearly a third of global emissions. Lastly, this study provides insight into how the predictability of ideological effects on policy acceptance differs in countries also beyond those classically studied (such as the USA and countries in Europe) by utilizing survey data collected in 2023 from Brazil, Germany, India, South Africa, Sweden and the USA (N = 10,513). We find direct and indirect links between ideology and policy acceptability, where fairness and effectiveness beliefs about policies mediate more of the effect than beliefs about freedom.Key policy insightsThe traditional ideological left–right divide, affecting policy attitudes, is more relevant for countries in the Global North.Well-established policy acceptance indicators may not be the same or as relevant in the Global South, implying that there may be more public support for instruments like a CMF tax than previously understood.Climate change concern strongly affects policy support for a CMF tax, so spreading awareness of climate change and its impacts via education and policy communication might increase support.Perceived fairness strongly affects policy support for a CMF tax, so to avoid public opposition; policy-makers need to take into consideration distributional and procedural concerns when designing a CMF tax.