Original Article
Public Support for Climate Change Policy: Consistency in the Influence of Values and Attitudes Over Time and Across Specific Policy Alternatives
James W. Stoutenborough,
Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo,
Arnold Vedlitz,
James W. Stoutenborough
Department of Political Science, Idaho State University
Search for more papers by this authorRebecca Bromley-Trujillo
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Kentucky
Search for more papers by this authorArnold Vedlitz
The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University
Search for more papers by this authorJames W. Stoutenborough,
Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo,
Arnold Vedlitz,
James W. Stoutenborough
Department of Political Science, Idaho State University
Search for more papers by this authorRebecca Bromley-Trujillo
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Kentucky
Search for more papers by this authorArnold Vedlitz
The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This study examines the factors that explain public preferences for a set of climate change policy alternatives. While scholarly work indicates a relationship between attitudes and values on views toward specific issues, the literature often examines general support for issues rather than specific policy proposals. Consequently, it is unclear the extent to which these attitudes and values affect specific policy considerations. This project examines public support for five climate change policy options in two national surveys taken three years apart. The empirical analysis reveals that time is a factor and that those who are liberal, have strong ecological values, report greater concern for climate change, and trust experts are consistently more supportive of the climate policy options considered here. The results shed new light on the nuanced views of the American public toward climate change.
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