Without the consent of the population, it is difficult for politicians to implement measures in the transport sector that are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The economic interests of citizens play a major role in their acceptance. This was the finding of researchers from the ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research Mannheim, the University of Kassel, the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) Villingen-Schwenningen and the University of Gothenburg. In a representative survey, they asked around 700 people in Germany about 13 transport policy measures. The result: the more these individuals benefit from a climate-friendly transport policy, the higher the level of approval. The authors therefore conclude that compensation payments such as 'climate money' could help to push through unpopular measures.

"The most popular measures are those that involve financial support, such as lower taxes for public transport or subsidies for electric cars and buses," explains Prof. Dr. Andreas Ziegler, Professor of Empirical Economic Research at the University of Kassel and co-author of the study. According to Ziegler, more than half of those surveyed support an increase in taxes on airline tickets, and more respondents were in favor of a speed limit on freeways than opposed to it. The de facto 'combustion car ban' and the introduction of a car toll on freeways, on the other hand, were more likely to be disapproved of. "What is remarkable about the controversial 'combustion engine ban', however, is that it is only strictly rejected by less than a third of respondents, meaning that its acceptance could possibly be increased through better political communication or accompanying measures," Ziegler continued.

Climate policy instruments can be divided into two categories: So-called pull measures are intended to increase demand for climate-friendly modes of transportation by providing financial relief, for example through subsidies for public transport, e-cars/buses or the expansion of charging infrastructure. On the other hand, push measures are intended to reduce demand for environmentally harmful means of transport through bans and higher taxes or levies. These include car tolls, speed limits or a ban on combustion engines.

Although pull measures are generally more strongly supported than push measures, between 17% and 27% of respondents are undecided, depending on the instrument. This could be due to the fact that many people do not know what impact certain projects will have. "Policymakers could help this group with information campaigns to increase understanding and support for climate policy instruments," add the other co-authors Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Habla from DHBW, Dr. Anna Straubinger from ZEW and Kumai Kokash from the University of Kassel.

The study can be accessed here:

https://www.zew.de/publikationen/foerdern-oder-verbieten-welche-klimafreundlichen-verkehrspolitiken-in-der-bevoelkerung-ankommen

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Ziegler
University of Kassel, Department of Empirical Economics
Institute of Economics
Phone: 0561/804-3038
Email: andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

You can find the article here.