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Voters think tackling climate change is vital – but only half are willing to pay for it

Prospect Magazine

Alex Luke, Researcher on the Getting to Zero programme at Onward, wrote for Prospect Magazine about our new report into public attitudes towards tackling climate change and net zero. He writes:

“What would you be willing to pay higher taxes for? On most issues, people are particularly reticent about giving more money to the state. And while surveys show that voters are more supportive of higher tax and spend today than they have been for some time, they also suggest voters typically expect others—usually high earners or businesses—to be footing the bill.

It is therefore notable that half of voters would be willing to pay extra taxes if it led to lower carbon emissions being let into the atmosphere, according to new research for Onward.

This finding—and a similar result for the proportion of people willing to pay higher prices to tackle climate change (46 per cent)—underlines the extent to which climate change has gone from a relatively low priority issue a decade ago to an issue of broad consensus. Only health and the economy are now considered more important issues by voters.”

You can read the full article here.

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