Blame the Billionaires? Media exposure to carbon inequality polarises climate policy support

Does carbon inequality affect support for climate policies? Previous research suggests that awareness ofcarbon inequality across income groups increases policy support, but relies on stylised treatments farfrom real-world conditions. We conducted a pre-registered experiment in France to assess the effect ofreal newspaper headlines about emissions from private jets on support for climate policies and willingnessto donate to a climate organisation. We find that the treatment polarises respondents, with divergingresponses between anti-elite and mainstream voters. Information about carbon inequality increasessupport for elite-targeting policies among mainstream voters, such as private-jet bans, while reducingsupport among anti-elite voters. It also increases mainstream voters’ support for a progressive policythat would constrain short-haul flights for everyone. Our results offer evidence of a polarising effect ofcarbon inequality information among politically divided publics.