Through the Subnational Looking Glass: State-Level Framing Effects, Public Opinion, and Trade Policy Preferences
Abstract
In recent years, national-level elite framing has fueled a political backlash against globalization in the United States. Could a framing about the effects of trade at the local level have a similar effect? Moreover, could it do so against the backdrop of a countervailing national-level frame? This manuscript shows that it could via a set of four experimental studies conducted in Texas and Minnesota in 2022. Results indicate that framing trade at the state level affects voters’ faith that trade benefits their locale, even without altering expectations of personal gain. The net result is to condition overall support for trade via a subnational group-based mechanism.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Electoral Systems and Political Participation
Social Policy and Reform Studies
Populism
Right-Wing Movements
Publication details
- Journal / source
- International Interactions
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 492–510
- Publication date
- 16 February 2026
- Language
- EN