The Dynamics of Public Opinion on Free Trade

Abstract

This dissertation takes the form of a series of three papers. The first paper, Chapter 2, is a time series analysis on Protectionist Sentiment in the United States from 1973 to 2018. The second paper is a repeated cross-sectional analysis on the changing effect of partisanship on Protectionist Sentiment in the United States, using individual level data from the NES surveys in 1986, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. The third paper uses a time series analysis on trade policy in order to determine whether trade policy responds to changes in Protectionist Sentiment.