Necessity or Luxury? Air Conditioning and Support for Utility Assistance in the Context of Climate Change

Studies of climate attitudes are increasingly concerned with support for mitigation policies such as adequate indoor cooling to address heat exposure. Air conditioning has historically been marketed as a luxury good, but polling shows Americans are evenly split in whether they consider it a necessity or a luxury. Do they support utility aid programs that would increase access to air conditioning? Results from an original survey vignette experiment (N = 1,200) show respondents are less likely to support government aid to help low-income people pay utility bills when policy frames invoke air conditioning rather than heat. A replication (N = 703) finds this effect is most pronounced among White respondents. These findings have important implications for research and policy advocacy because they demonstrate a potential obstacle for public support in addressing the negative impacts of extreme heat in climate change.