Alarmed but Unmoved: The Impact of the Provision of Correct Local Environmental Information

Abstract

Information disclosure has become a ubiquitous component of public policy. The virtues of information disclosure partly rest on citizens acting on disclosed information. Through a survey experiment, this article evaluates citizens’ responses to local environmental information from the Toxics Release Inventory, a major environmental information disclosure program in the U.S. The results suggest that individuals adjust their concern for self and family and sense of personal obligation to act based on new information relative to their prior knowledge. The information, however, has no impact on policy preferences and behavioral intentions. While citizens do not completely reject new information, the findings underscore the challenges of using information disclosure to motivate meaningful behavioral changes. They also contribute to the understanding of the relationships between information, political knowledge, attitudes, and preferences.