Temperature Anomalies and Carbon Pricing Support: Evidence from a National Referendum

Lint Barrage () and Gustav Fredriksson ()
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Lint Barrage: Chair of Energy and Climate Economics, ETH Zurich
Gustav Fredriksson: Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin

Economic Papers from Trinity College Dublin, Economics Department

Abstract: What drives voter decisions on carbon pricing? Analyzing Switzerland's 2021 CO2 Act referendum, this paper finds that support was substantially higher in municipalities experiencing unusually warm weather during the voting period. This effect is most robust relative to a recent temperature baseline, consistent with a 'frog in hot water' effect. Opposition was stronger in areas with higher correlates of policy costs, such as car ownership and manufacturing employment. Evidence on long‐run temperature trends is mixed. These findings suggest that future weather anomalies may increase electoral support for carbon pricing.

Keywords: Carbon Pricing Support; Referendum; Temperature Anomalies; Climate Change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D7 H2 Q4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 11 pages
Date: 2026-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-pol
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https://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/2026/TEP1326.pdf

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep1326

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