Faculty Sponsor: Robert Kabacoff
Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Abstract: For over half a century, the United States has been a key player in systems of global exchange (Mansfield, E. D., & Mutz 2009). While contentious in the field of political science, there is growing evidence that foreign aid can benefit donor and recipient nations alike (Paxton, P., & Knack, S. 2012). Better understanding the individual factors that influence public opinion toward foreign aid policy in the U.S. is important because political ideology and misunderstanding may contribute to negative opinions on foreign aid (Sachs 2014). While a majority of Americans believe that international issues are relevant to their own lives, they are generally misinformed about the realities of U.S. foreign aid policy and lack sound information on global affairs (Brookings 2019; National Geographic, Gallup, & Council on Foreign Relations 2019). Many studies have examined the relationship between political ideology and foreign aid preferences (Prather 2024; Milner, H.V., and Tingley 2010), but somewhat less attention has been given to individual determinants of political support for foreign aid (Heinrich, T., Kobayashi, Y., & Lawson, E. 2021). Even less attention has been given to public opinion on foreign aid as a multi-level phenomenon, as in how individual factors and broad-scale factors interact to influence popular opinion on foreign aid (Kertzer 2013).
The present study investigates whether income (measured in inflation-adjusted family income) and education level are positively associated with favorable opinion on U.S. foreign aid expenditure, controlling for political views, education, and sex. Findings from the present study may be helpful in informing academic research and policymaking alike. Information from this study may help policymakers more effectively target certain demographics in policy campaigns or educational efforts that underscore the impact of U.S. foreign aid. Potential findings may also help policymakers, government officials, or NGOs craft educational initiatives that bridge the gap on public knowledge of foreign aid and help clear misconceptions and myths about the effectiveness of and motivations behind foreign aid policies. Additionally, understanding the relationship between education, income, and opinion on foreign aid in the context of ideological divides may help inform targeted campaigning and the design of bipartisan foreign aid programs.
Video/Audio Component: (Optional) – You can delete this section if you don’t use it