Issue: Transportation

A poll conducted in January of 2021 finds strong support for policies to improve transportation systems and address climate change in the state. 

96% of Maryland voters say that ensuring safe and timely commutes to work for Marylanders is an important objective. Around 60% of Marylander voters say that reducing traffic congestion, reducing pollution that contributes to asthma and lung disease, and ensuring low-income communities and communities of color have access to public transportation are very important issues for the Maryland Transportation Authority. Furthermore, nearly 66% of Maryland voters say that Maryland should immediately increase spending on public transportation infrastructure and support a variety of transportation investments, including by not limited to: investing in repairing and maintaining current transportation infrastructure, adding new bus routes and train lines to address transportation inaccessibility, providing tax credits or rebates to those purchasing electric vehicles, and adding bike lanes.
 

Motivational messaging can encourage people’s willingness to make trade-offs in favor of the environment. In this study, researchers find that giving people information about how longer air travel times reduce carbon emissions make people more willing to have longer travel times. This willingness was even higher for those who were told the travel time would be much longer, rather than just a little longer. Finally, the authors also find that the effects of messaging are strongest among those with higher levels of environmental concern. Members interested in encouraging trade-offs in favor of the environment should consider motivational information framing.