Research project A decarbonized politics for all: the welfare state and public support of climate policy

Public policy for mitigating climate change – such as raising taxes on fossil fuels – tends to impose extra costs on households and have a regressive distributive profile. Carbon taxes are thus often unpopular and difficult for policymakers to implement on a large scale. The overarching aim of the project is to further knowledge about the role of the welfare state for climate policy attitudes. Are people more willing to accept decarbonization policies if they are compensated by a generous welfare state?

Attitudes to climate policy, actual carbon taxes, and social policy are analyzed together in a coherent comparative framework. We apply new cutting-edge methodologies for a more precise measurement of inaugurated decarbonization policies and the welfare state.

In order to reach a carbon neutral society in the nearby future, it is crucial to avoid situations in which public discontent obstructs necessary climate reforms. Exploring ways in which carbon taxes can receive broader public support in Sweden and other countries is thus an important research task, with great societal relevance.