Environmentally-friendly policies: You say offset, I say tax? Labels and political affiliation may affect preferences
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 12:21
in Psychology & Sociology
New findings suggest a strong link between our political affiliation and how we react to certain labels. When choosing among two items, Democratic, Republican, and Independent volunteers tended to select a more expensive, albeit environmentally-friendly, product if the surcharge was labeled as a "carbon offset." When the surcharge was labeled as a "carbon tax," Democratic volunteers still opted for the costlier item, but Republican and Independent participants were more likely to choose the cheaper item.