Citizen support for policy interventions implemented to achieve more sustainable food consumption: The role of policy design and presentation

This study examines public support for policy packages comprising taxes, subsidies, or both designed to reduce the consumption of animal-based protein (e.g., beef, pork, chicken and cheese). Specifically, we investigate whether support varies depending on how these policy packages are designed and presented. While previous research shows that the design of carbon taxes can influence public acceptance, there is limited evidence on whether similar results apply to policies implemented to promote sustainable diets. Our study addresses this gap. We find significant variation in public support based on the design of taxes and subsidies. The most influential design elements are linked to perceived living costs. In contrast, design elements linked to concerns about a policy’s effectiveness or its potential economic impact on the domestic economy appear to play a minor role in shaping support. Additionally, our results suggest that the order in which measures are introduced within a policy package matter and that people tend to be less supportive of policies targeting individual consumption, even when they come in the form of subsidies, compared to those targeting production. While our findings offer novel insights with potential relevance beyond the Swedish context, further research is needed across different domains, economic settings, and political environments to validate and extend these results.

Keywords: consumption taxes, design and presentation, food policy, Policy design, public acceptance, subsidies

Lindahl. T. 2026. Citizen support for policy interventions implemented to achieve more sustainable food consumption: The role of policy design and presentation. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability 11:100346.