The Politics of Intersecting Crises: The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Climate Policy Preferences

Parrish Bergquist, Gabriel De Roche, Erick Lachapelle, Matto Mildenberger and Kathryn Harrison

British Journal of Political Science, 2023, vol. 53, issue 2, 707-716

Abstract: Few contemporary crises have reshaped public policy as dramatically as the COVID-19 pandemic. In its shadow, policymakers have debated whether other pressing crises—including climate change—should be integrated into COVID-19 policy responses. Public support for such an approach is unclear: the COVID-19 crisis might eclipse public concern for other policy problems, or complementarities between COVID-19 and other issues could boost support for broad government interventions. In this research note, we use a conjoint experiment, panel study, and framing experiment to assess the substitutability or complementarity of COVID-19 and climate change among US and Canadian publics. We find no evidence that the COVID-19 crisis crowds out public concern about the climate crisis. Instead, we find that the publics in both countries prefer that their governments integrate climate action into COVID-19 responses. We also find evidence that analogizing climate change with COVID-19 may increase concern about climate change.

Date: 2023
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