Motivating Climate Action: The Effects of Intrinsic Motivation on Willingness to Pay for Clean Energy Policy
Metzger, Ava
Metzger, Ava
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Abstract
Public support is a critical determinant of the success and durability of climate policy. Traditional economic models frame the valuation of such policies solely in terms of cost preferences, neglecting the complex interplay of psychological processes that drive decision-making. Research in behavioral psychology outlines mechanisms such as moral values, identity, and perceived autonomy as central drivers of pro-environmental behavior. Still, limited empirical work assesses the integration of these fields to understand the influence of motivational framing in climate policy contexts. The present study investigates the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational framings on policy support and willingness to pay for clean energy. Using a randomized experimental design (N = 1,303), participants were assigned to intrinsic, extrinsic, and control conditions and asked whether they would support a proposed clean energy policy that requires randomly varying increases in electricity costs. Policy support was assessed as a function of the treatment condition and cost level, yielding estimates of willingness to pay thresholds. Further assessment incorporated demographic controls and subgroup analysis by climate belief. Results indicated that higher policy costs significantly reduce support (? = ?0.00343, p < 0.001). Intrinsic framing increased policy support relative to the control group (? = 0.311, p = 0.032), and extrinsic framing yielded no significant effect. These treatment differences are reflected in the higher willingness to pay under intrinsic framing ($421.38) relative to extrinsic ($361.71) and control conditions ($330.64). This pattern is maintained across climate belief subgroups and demographic controls, though confidence intervals indicate uncertainty regarding the magnitude of effects. Findings suggest that willingness to pay reflects internal motivational processes in addition to economic tradeoffs. Consistent with Self-Determination Theory, warm glow, and cognitive dissonance frameworks, framing policy in terms of values and identity elicits successful, durable public support for climate policy.
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Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Senior (Graduating in 2026)
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Poster
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Environmental Studies & Psychology, minor in Economics
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College of Arts and Sciences
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Social Science