When Free-Market Climate Solutions Fall Short: Ideology, Morality, and Public Support Across Contexts

This study examines how political ideology and moral evaluations shape public responses to net-zero transition efforts and climate change risk mitigation initiatives led by governments and corporations. While conservatives are often thought to favor market-based strategies, some free-market approaches, such as carbon trading, may nonetheless elicit moral concerns, particularly perceptions of hypocrisy. Across two experiments, we find that ideological polarization persists even when market-based policies are proposed, though ideological differences appear less consistent in the corporate-action context than in the government-policy context. Greater perceived hypocrisy was associated with lower support for climate solutions, potentially constraining the appeal of market-based strategies. These findings highlight the complex interplay between ideology, morality, and context in shaping public acceptance of climate risk mitigation strategies.