Responsive nor responsible? Politicians’ climate change policy preferences and public opinion perceptions

Korte inhoud:This study addresses the lack of sufficient climate action by examining politicians’ opinions and their perceptions of public opinion about climate change mitigation policies. After all, scholarly work on democratic representation has shown that two key drivers of political decision-making are the policy preferences of elected representatives and their perceptions of citizens’ preferences. Drawing on surveys with local elected representatives and citizens in Belgium, we find that they overall hold rather similar preferences on climate policies – though politicians are slightly less supportive of most policies than citizens. Interestingly, legislators underestimate support for climate policies among the broader public, which may lead to less climate action than would be expected from a representational view. Finally, we show that politicians’ own preferences influence their public opinion perceptions.

Jaar van publicatie:2025

Trefwoorden:Politics, Omgevingswetenschappen en technologie, political science and administration

Toegankelijkheid:Embargoed