6533b831fe1ef96bd1298e9a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Trade shocks and the nationalist backlash in political attitudes: panel data evidence from Great Britain

subject

description

This article leverages individual-level panel data on nationalist attitudes to contribute to the debate on the (economic) roots of popular opposition to globalization. We propose a ���nationalist backlash��� hypothesis: Individuals living in regions suffering from stronger import competition form more nationalist attitudes as part of a broad counter-reaction to globalization. Analyzing data from the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), we document not only a decrease in support for EU membership but also a general shift towards more nationalist attitudes among respondents from regions exposed to higher imports from low-wage countries���in particular, China. We thus uncover a direct individual-level response to import shocks in the form of rising nationalist attitudes that helps to explain these shocks��� aggregate electoral consequences in terms of increased vote shares for the radical right.