Public Support for Climate Policies in a Context of Low Politicisation: Evidence from Italy

Abstract

Climate change is a major political challenge worldwide. However, political efforts to address it do not always receive support from the population. Drawing on data from a novel survey, this paper examines the determinants of public support for eight different types of climate policy. We focus on Italy, a country in which the issue of climate change has so far received limited attention on the political agenda. We analyse three key explanatory factors: what citizens think (political ideology), what they have (economic situation), and where they live (rural or urban areas, and perceived exposure to climate-related risks in their neighbourhood). Our results suggest that all three factors are relevant in explaining Italians’ support for climate policies. Most importantly, their relevance varies depending on the specific type of policy under consideration and its level of politicisation.

Keywords

• Climate Change Policy
• Public Preferences
• Politicisation
• Public Opinion
• Policy Support