REFRAMING CARBON OFFSET COSTS TO INCREASE CONTRIBUTIONS

Abstract

This research investigates how framing carbon offset costs in terms of percentage versus dollar sum, affects decision-makers’ likelihood of purchasing carbon offsets for flights. I find that the framing effect of presenting carbon offset costs as a percentage of flight cost will increase the likelihood of consumers purchasing carbon offsets when flight costs are high, but decrease the likelihood when flight costs are low. Four studies provide evidence for this finding, including two pre-registered studies.Overall, these findings suggest that the relationship between framing and carbon offset consumption is moderated by the price of the flight ticket.