The Role of Perceived Fairness in Public Opinion on Sustainable Transportation Policy: A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model

Perceived (un)fairness is closely linked to public opinion and acceptance about climate change policies. Less is known about how fairness is related to other determinants. Using meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM), we summarize thirty-five studies from across twenty countries to test a model in which perceived fairness is the proximal determinant for public opinion about sustainable transportation policies. We propose that public opinion is determined, to a significant extent, by people asking themselves variations of the question, how fair is this policy? The results reveal that perceived fairness is a stronger predictor than perceived effectiveness of a policy, environmental concern, and personal values. The model also shows that both effectiveness and concern are more strongly related to fairness than they are to positive public opinion directly. These results have valuable policy implications and advance past research by proving a meta- analytic path model.