Citizens' attitudes towards climate mitigation policies: The role of occupational exposure in EU countries

Abstract

Climate protection is a global public good. The related mitigation policies implemented by a single country could have little effect on climate change issue such that there could be no net gains for society. However, those measures might create winners and losers among individuals. We investigate the citizens' support for different pro-climate policies in EU countries, by considering the degree of heterogeneity in their attitudes towards climate issues using a cluster analysis. We also exploit the extent to which carbon intensity and green skills requirement of jobs contribute to supporting climate policies. Our results suggest that individuals' occupational exposure does matter: people in emission-intensive activities tend to be against stringent climate measures, whereas people in jobs that require high levels of green skills are in favour of them. | INTRODUCTIONClimate protection is a global public good. The related mitigation policies implemented by a single country could have little effect on climate change issues such that there could be no net gains for society. More importantly, ambitious climate mitigation targets need public acceptance to be successful, given that they often entail substantial and uneven costs and benefits on citizens (