Support for trade restrictions, attitudes, and understanding of comparative advantage

We asked respondents about their attitudes toward restriction of imports, their understanding of the principle of comparative advantage and their attitudes toward globalization and business. Respondents who favored import restrictions scored lower on the test of understanding of comparative advantage, and they had less favorable attitudes toward globalization and toward business. Import restrictions were also more likely to be favored if the other country did not trade freely, if the goods were already made in one's own country, and if imports were currently restricted. The results were generally consistent for respondents who completed the questionnaire on the World Wide Web (mostly from the USA) and those who completed it on paper (all in New Zealand). (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.