Ray Fisman examines the results of a study that tried to gently persuade homeowners to use less energy:
UCLA economists Dora Costa and Matthew Kahn analyzed the impact of an energy-conservation program in California that informed households about how their energy use compared with that of their neighbors. While the program succeeded in encouraging Democrats and environmentalists to lower their consumption, Republicans had the opposite reaction. When told of their relative thrift, they started cranking up the thermostat and leaving the lights on more often.
2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan