Business Economics and Public Policy Papers
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
4-9-2013
Publication Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume
110
Issue
23
Start Page
9314
Last Page
9319
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1218453110
Abstract
This research demonstrates how promoting the environment can negatively affect adoption of energy efficiency in the United States because of the political polarization surrounding environmental issues. Study 1 demonstrated that more politically conservative individuals were less in favor of investment in energy-efficient technology than were those who were more politically liberal. This finding was driven primarily by the lessened psychological value that more conservative individuals placed on reducing carbon emissions. Study 2 showed that this difference has consequences: In real-choice context, more conservative individuals were less likely to purchase a more expensive energy-efficient light bulb when it was labeled with an environmental message than when it was unlabeled. These results highlight the importance of taking into account psychological value-based considerations in the individual adoption of energy-efficient technology in the United States and beyond.
Keywords
political ideology, energy-efficiency, attitudes, choices, consumers
Recommended Citation
Gromet, D., Kunreuther, H., & Larrick, R. P. (2013). Political Ideology Affects Energy-Efficiency Attitudes and Choices. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110 (23), 9314-9319. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1218453110
Included in
Business Commons, Economics Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons
Date Posted: 27 November 2017