Abstract

https://ssrn.com/abstract=280102
 


 



What Makes People Think Like Economists? Evidence on Economic Cognition from the Survey of Americans and Economists on the Economy


Bryan Caplan


George Mason University - Center for Study of Public Choice


J of Law & Economics, Vol. 44, No. 2, Pt. 1, October 2001

Abstract:     
The positive economic beliefs of economists and the general public systematically differ. What factors make non-economists think more like economists? Using the Survey of Americans and Economists on the Economy, this paper shows people think more like economists: if they are well-educated; if they are male; if their real income rose over the last five years; if they expect their real income to rise over the next five years; or if they have high degrees of job security. However, neither high income nor ideological conservatism have this effect. My findings for education, gender, and income have close parallels in political science: on tests of objective political knowledge, the better-educated and males score higher, controlling for numerous other variables, and the independent effect of income is minor.


Not Available For Download

Date posted: September 30, 2001  

Suggested Citation

Caplan, Bryan, What Makes People Think Like Economists? Evidence on Economic Cognition from the Survey of Americans and Economists on the Economy. J of Law & Economics, Vol. 44, No. 2, Pt. 1, October 2001. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=280102

Contact Information

Bryan Caplan (Contact Author)
George Mason University - Center for Study of Public Choice ( email )
Fairfax, VA 22030
United States
703-993-2324 (Phone)
703-993-2323 (Fax)
Feedback to SSRN


Paper statistics
Abstract Views: 724