Public support for climate policies and its ideological predictors across countries of the Global North and Global South

Abstract

Our understanding of public support for climate policies predominantly stems from studies in the Global North and a focus on isolated policy types. Here, we examine how public support for four different climate policy types and the effect of ideological explanatory variables on such support vary among countries of the Global North and Global South. We surveyed representative samples of each three Global Northern countries (Germany, UK, USA) and Global Southern countries (Brazil, China and South Africa) – among those the highest emitters on their respective continents, contributing to 49.3 % of global carbon emissions – resulting in a total sample of N = 11,964 individuals. While we found significant variations among countries, our results showed that public support across all policy types was stronger in the three Global Southern countries, compared to that of the three Global Northern countries. We also found that a positive association of trust in public institutions and a negative association of individualistic worldviews with policy support were stronger in Global Northern countries, compared to Global Southern countries, regardless of policy type. These findings suggest that ideologies play a more important role for policy support in the Global Northern countries, compared to the Global Southern countries. • Public support for climate policies is stronger in Global Southern countries. • Individualistic worldviews are negatively associated with policy support. • Trust in public institutions is positively associated with policy support. • These associations are stronger in Global Northern countries.