Framing effect and public support for the environmental policy

Abstract

Framing effect consists in the fact that how a problem is presented (or framed) affects the decision maker’s perception of the  problem and their preferences. Public opinion about the environmental policy can vary depending on how the aims and consequences of particular policy actions or instruments are featured. The paper aims to exa‑mine how alternative ways of framing SO2 pollution problem (highlighting consequences for human health, nature and state finance) affect the public support for abatement policy (emission fees and emission trading) and bearing higher heating costs. The research made use of an experiment with students as participants. The results were analysed using the two-sample t-test. The findings suggest that highlighting the impact of environmentally damaging behaviour on human health may increase the public support for the imposition of environmental policy instruments and may encourage voluntary actions aimed to protect the environment.