CO2-Bepreisung in Deutschland: Kenntnisstand der Bevölkerung im Jahr 2022
In 2021, carbon pricing of fossil fuels was introduced in Germany in order to reduce their consumption for the purpose of climate protection. In this article, Jana Eßer, Manuel Frondel*, Stephan Sommer and Julia Wittmann examine how well the population knows about the effects and level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) pricing. A survey of more than 6,000 respondents from 2022 shows that the vast majority of respondents do not feel at all or rather poorly informed about this. This is confirmed, among other things, by the lack of knowledge about the individual financial consequences and the goods affected by the CO₂ price. This lack of knowledge about the objectives, areas of application and mechanisms of the CO₂ price is correlated with a lower acceptance of this climate protection instrument; however, the correlation decreases with the level of the price. These results indicate that politicians and scientists should make efforts to increase the acceptance of the CO₂ price through better communication and more transparency. However, if the CO₂ price rises, further measures will be necessary, above all the repayment of income from CO₂ pricing.
Eßer, J., M. Frondel, S. Sommer and J. Wittmann (2024), CO2-Bepreisung in Deutschland: Kenntnisstand der Bevölkerung im Jahr 2022. Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, 25, 3-4, 208-226