Research on public responses to climate change mitigation policies is proliferating. Therefore, a need to critically review the existing research practice arises. Studies published over the last 15 years (n=164) and focusing on public attitudes and responses to climate policies are reviewed in this thesis with respect to a) measures and operational definitions of policy support, acceptability, acceptance, and other types of responses and b) factors related to such responses. A great diversity of measures and measured constructs, frequent lack of theoretical embedding, and conceptual vagueness are currently pervasive in the field. Such state leads to uncertainty of what is being measured, ambiguity, and greater diversity and lower comparability of results. In response to this state, the thesis proposes a construct of policy attitudes and responses as an overarching concept comprising the diversity of measures and constructs already in use, and a theoretical framework, based on the Value- Belief-Norm theory, as a heuristic tool for measurement, analysis, and interpretation of survey results. Additionally, the thesis discusses the interlinkage of public opinion on climate policies and policy-making process to argue the relevance and the role of the reviewed research. Three original studies are part of...

This thesis identified dominant discourses in climate change mitigation policy in three Swedish municipalities using argumentative discourse analysis. It was explored how these discourses influence the potential for success in mitigating climate change. Other studies have identified several factors that are important when working with climate change mitigation in municipalities, for example, political leadership and organizational structure. However, studies have shown that discourse is also an influential factor since it sets the frame for what can be thought of, consequently influencing policies and actions, but this has not been studied as much at the municipal level in Sweden. Previous studies of environmental policy have shown the dominance of an ecological modernization discourse, where economic growth and environmental issues are combined to create a win-win. The results in this thesis show the dominance of a strong ecological modernization where the decoupling between economic growth and environmental problems, renewable energy and technology, a global justice perspective, and a focus on collaboration between stakeholders is central. A main conclusion is that the ecological modernization discourse risks obscuring potential solutions that are not related to the market or technological innovation. However, the inclusion of a diversity of actors and a focus on justice could potentially minimize this risk. Finally, emerging discourses around transformation and circular economy could be ways to problematize the taken-for-granted ecological modernization discourse. However, their potential depends on how these concepts are framed and what is included in them. / <p>Presentation was done online due to COVID-19</p>