New England mileage fee survey

Fleet diversification and increases in energy efficiency continue to
weaken the revenue-generating ability of motor fuels taxes (colloquially,
“gas taxes”), which are a large source of funding for transportation
projects. While alternative funding schemes are necessary, consensus
amongst policymakers is lacking and public acceptance of changes to the
gas tax is low. We surveyed residents of Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire
to gauge understanding of and support for a mileage fee and a flat fee as
potential replacements for the gas tax. Throughout the survey, respondents
were provided information and learning opportunities to “myth bust” common
misconceptions about the gas tax and the potential policy alternatives. We
find that, before education, respondents knew very little about how the
current gas tax works and showed minimal support for the proposed policy
alternatives. Post-education, support for mileage fees increased by 11%,
and the impact of the education was statistically significant in
increasing policy support.  Additional regression models revealed
that while perceptions of fairness may not be easily changed with
education in a survey format, presenting respondents with personalized
cost estimates was a highly effective way to increase policy support.
Overall, we find responding to common public concerns with up-to-date and
non-biased information within a relatively simple learning experience can
cause substantial changes in policy support. Our findings offer an avenue
to understand how support for gas tax alternatives varies amongst
different groups of people and the role that education can play in
increasing policy support in the face of widespread misconceptions.