The effect of framing on policy support: Experimental evidence from urban transport policies

Johanna Arlinghaus, Théo Konc, Linus Mattauch and Stephan Sommer

No 77, Berlin School of Economics Discussion Papers from Berlin School of Economics

Abstract: Do citizens support policy instruments because they appreciate their effects or because they are convinced by their objectives? We administered a large-scale representative survey with randomised video treatments to test how different policy frames - time savings, health and environment - affect citizens' attitudes towards urban tolls in two large European metropolitan areas, Berlin-Brandenburg and Paris-Ile de France. Presenting urban tolls as a solution to air pollution increases support by up to 11.4 percentage points, presenting them as a climate change or congestion relief measure increases support by 7.1 and 6.5 percentage points, respectively. We demonstrate via a causal mediation analysis that the observed changes in policy support are mainly framing effects; changes in beliefs about policy effects play a secondary role. Thus, we uncover a new mechanism shaping public opinion on economic policies: the stated objectives of an identical policy design can shape citizens' views in distinct ways.

Keywords: political (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 67 pages
Date: 2025-10-20
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env, nep-exp, nep-pol and nep-tre
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bdp:dpaper:0077

DOI: 10.48462/opus4-5964

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