Real or Perceived? When powerlessness hinders climate policy support. The France of the Yellow Vests: an application.

Abstract: This research draws a parallel between the recent political backlashes witnessed in the (de)-industrialized world and people’s attitudes towards climate policies. In lieu of the rise of populism, subjective feelings induced by individuals’ perceptions of their condition have increasingly been considered by researchers. In parallel, there is a substantial literature on the determinants of public support for climate policy. Based on the allegation of the Yellow Vests movement in France, and in order to scrutinize the underlying foundations of the contestation, this study sought to re-calibrate perceptive variables as to one’s condition in a model of attitudes towards taxation. Using survey data, the analysis relies on linear regressions to comparatively assess the effect of individual income and one’s perceived position in society, as well as that of the reported feeling of powerlessness towards climate action on willingness to pay higher taxes for climate mitigation. The findings suggest that, beyond economic rationality, perceptive dimensions of one’s condition ought to be considered to ensure public support for climate policy in a context of sustainable transition.