Vulnérabilité aux flambées de prix des carburants. Le cas français 1984-2018

Abstract

Given the recent price increases of fuels in France and the protest movement of the Yellow Vests, we analyze the price and income elasticities according to income level and place of residence in France during the period 1984-2018 from data of the ParcAuto panel survey. We show that the households most affected by fuel price increases are the least affluent and those living in low-density areas, who are likely to be more captive of car-use. The very low short-run elasticities, that are higher in the longer term show the difficulty of adaptation of these populations and the importance of taking into account income disparities when introducing a carbon tax by introducing compensatory measures and privileging gradual increases for better acceptability.

Keywords

• carbon tax
• fuel prices
• price and income elasticities
• income levels
• places of residence