What makes people want more impactful climate policy?

Abstract

The dire challenge of climate change and the history of inadequate policy action by governments around the globe raise the critical question of how more impactful, structural climate solutions may be advanced. Here, we examine the role of citizen’s public policy acceptance as a key signal for the policymaking process with a focus on structural solutions. We briefly highlight the role of public policy support and key differences among policies low vs. high in regulatory depth. We then review work on the main predictors of the desire for more governmental intervention in climate policy domains and the acceptance of structural policy measures within an integrative policy acceptance framework. We highlight some open questions for future research, as well as implications for policymaking, such as how they may garner more support for impactful policies.