Improving public support for climate action through multilateralism

Area of Science:

• Environmental Policy and Governance
• Public Opinion and Climate Change
• International Relations and Cooperation

Background:

• Policymakers have long pursued multilateral climate agreements to foster international cooperation.
• Public support for costly climate policies is often assumed to increase when other nations participate, driven by effectiveness and fairness norms.
• Contradictory recent research suggests public approval may be independent of international climate policy choices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically investigate the impact of multilateralism on public approval of costly climate action.
• To determine if international cooperation influences public perception of climate policy effectiveness and fairness.
• To provide evidence-based insights for designing effective climate change mitigation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Conducted two distinct experimental studies across multiple countries.
• Utilized controlled experimental designs to isolate the effect of multilateralism on public opinion.
• Pre-registered the study design and analysis plan with the AEA RCT Registry (#AEARCTR-0004090).

Main Results:

• Multilateral climate action significantly increases public approval for adopting costly climate policies.
• International cooperation enhances public beliefs regarding the effectiveness of climate policies.
• Multilateral settings improve the perceived fairness of climate action, thereby increasing public support.

Conclusions:

• Engaging in multilateral climate action is a viable strategy to bolster public support for ambitious climate policies.
• The perceived effectiveness and fairness of climate policies are key mechanisms through which multilateralism enhances public approval.
• International cooperation not only promises improved policy outcomes but also generates greater public endorsement for climate action.