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Do the folk actually hold folk-economic beliefs?
Ben M Tappin1, Robert Ross1, Ryan T McKay1
1ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders,Department of Psychology,Royal Holloway University of London,Egham,Surrey TW20 0EX,United Kingdom.benmtappin@googlemail.comryan.mckay@rhul.ac.ukhttp://pc.rhul.ac.uk/sites/mab-lab/.
Folk economic beliefs, including those about immigration, are shaped by cognitive systems. Contrary to Boyer & Petersen, evidence suggests the public often holds positive views on immigration's economic impact.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Boyer & Petersen (B&P) propose that folk-economic beliefs are widespread and influenced by evolved cognitive systems.
- B&P use exemplar beliefs to support their thesis on the universality of folk-economic reasoning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the variation in folk-economic beliefs, specifically concerning immigration.
- To challenge B&P's assertion of uniform folk-economic beliefs by presenting counter-evidence.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of existing evidence on public beliefs about the economic impact of immigration.
- Comparative analysis of scholarly arguments and empirical data.
Main Results:
- Significant variation exists within folk beliefs regarding the economic effects of immigration.
- Evidence indicates that a substantial portion of the population holds positive economic beliefs about immigration.
Conclusions:
- The assumption of uniform folk-economic beliefs, as proposed by B&P, is not supported by data on immigration.
- Public perception of immigration's economic impact is more nuanced and often positive than previously suggested.
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