Understanding public opinion on trade policy requires distinguishing between economic self-interest (egotropic) and broader societal welfare concerns (sociotropic).
In this survey experiment conducted in Japan, we find that exposure to sociotropic information reduces uncertainty about the pocketbook effects of trade policies.
This suggests that people's economic perceptions are heavily influenced by their concern for society at large—an effect not previously captured in standard models.
We also demonstrate that individuals do not consistently project their egotropic concerns onto societal evaluations, contrary to some theoretical expectations.
The findings highlight a critical relationship between uncertainty and sociotropic influences on trade attitudes.
Implications suggest that future analyses of foreign policy preferences must account for this interplay.
| Disentangling the Relationship Between Sociotropic and Egotropic Trade Attitudes: A Survey Experiment in Japan was authored by Eddie Hearn. It was published by Cambridge in JJPS in 2020. |
