Do the poor want to be regulated? Public opinion surveys on regulation in the United States, 1981-2002

摘要

Recent research has demonstrated that public regulation of private economic activity often has regressive effects. Despite those effects, poorer Americans show strong support for a variety of regulations in public opinion surveys. I use the database of survey questions from 1981 to 2002, assembled by Martin Gilens, to identify 85 questions that deal with economic regulation. Poorer Americans support regulation on most issues, and they often favor regulatory intervention more than Americans at the median or upper income levels. I also use similar questions from surveys of economists to suggest the possibility of rational irrationality on the part of low-income Americans when they disagree with economists.