Economists’ policy views and voting behavior

Two economists report on survey results of professional economists’ policy views and voting from the mid-2000s, before the financial crisis hit. Their abstract:

In Spring 2003, a survey of 1000 economists was conducted using a randomly generated membership list from the American Economics Association. public-choiceThe survey contained questions about 18 policy issues, voting behavior, and several background variables. The response was 264 (nonblank) surveys. The responses show that most economists are supporters of safety regulations, gun control, redistribution, public schooling, and anti-discrimination laws. They are evenly mixed on personal choice issues, military action, and the minimum wage. Most economists oppose tighter immigration controls, government ownership of enterprise and tariffs. In voting, the Democratic:Republican ratio is 2.5:1. These results are compared to those of previous surveys of economists. We itemize a series of important questions raised by these results.

Source: Daniel B. Klein and Charlotta Stern, “Economists’ policy views and voting,” Public Choice, March 2006, Volume 126, Issue 3-4, pp 331-342.

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