| Abstract: |
Taxing meat optimally is a first-best policy outcome to internalize
environmental harms. However, meat taxes often lack public and governmental
support. Recent research indicates that support for meat taxes can be improved
by combining behavioral nudges with fiscal measures. In this study, we test
this claim in a preregistered between-within-subjects experiment using a
representative sample of the Dutch (N=2, 032) population. The Netherlands is
currently considering a meat tax legislation, thereby making our study timely
and policy relevant. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment
condition in a 2x2 experimental setup, varying across a framing nudge (“tax”
versus “levy”) and a reflection (“yes” versus “no”) dimension. Subsequently,
all participants engaged in a discrete choice experiment where they selected
their preferred meat pricing policy from six sets of choice cards. Each card
included random variations in levels of four attributes: meat pricing (costs),
revenue recycling, policy coverage, and pricing rationale. We find that policy
support increases with greater revenue recycling and broader policy coverage
but decreases as costs rise. The rationale behind pricing does not alter
public support substantially. Importantly, we find no significant difference
in public support across the different behavioral nudge or reflection
treatments. Our experimental findings underscore the importance of policy
design in enhancing support for meat taxes. The effective design of a meat tax
is crucial, as superficial changes, such as behavioral nudges, may not be
sufficient to sway public opinion. |