An Examination of Influences Leading to Americans’ Endorsement of the Policy of Free Trade

Abstract

The authors explore influences on Americans’ endorsement of free trade in general, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in particular. Work in the behavioral sciences suggests the value of using constructs that express the nature of persons’ orientation toward their own and other countries to explain their willingness to endorse these concepts. On this basis, the authors created a model that features paths of influence leading to the two Endorsement constructs. They subjected survey data from 240 respondents to structural equation analysis to test the model. The results, using total effects, show that Endorsement of free trade in general and NAFTA in particular are related negatively to Ethnocentrism, Nationalism, Prejudice, and Image of Mexicans, and positively related to Education. These findings hold implications for policymakers who seek to sway public opinion about international trade; they also suggest implications for further research into the subject.