>'On tightening standards on car emissions, the public wants them by
>a 3-to-1 standard, yet the elites continue to defeat them. And the
>public overwhelming supports solor energy while opposing nuclear
>energy.'
>
>But these are the results of opinion polls, not a register of actual
>behaviour. Indeed they are a bit bizarre, since what 'the public'
>are polled as saying is that they want to see the public,
>themselves, restrained by legislation from excessive energy use. But
>if they were remotely serious, wouldn't they themselves reduce their
>energy use?
Doesn't the gap between opinions and behaviors make psychological, sociological, and economic sense, though? "I don't wanna be one of the few who go out of our ways bicycling, riding buses, car-pooling, etc. (= spending more time, and time is money under capitalism). I don't wanna be one of the few who shell out bigger bucks for less convenient electric vehicles either. Why should I sacrifice myself when others don't? It's unfair, besides, it's futile. But if auto manufacturers were compelled to produce energy-efficient vehicles that pollute less, I'd certainly go along with _that_." Surely Daniel Davies, Justin Schwartz, or someone like them could model this sentiment in a suitable game theory format. :-> -- Yoshie
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