*Who Thinks Like an Economist?*

That is the title of a recent book by Beatrice Magistro.  Some key results are:

Economic knowledge consistently predicts higher support for welfare-enhancing policies (Eurozone membership, free trade, and EU immigration), independent on whether individuals stand to gain or lose initially from globalization.  This challenges conventional self-interest accounts and instead highlights the role of economic knowledge — and potentially time preferences — in shaping globalization attitudes.

Economic knowledge also predicts a lower discount rate, even after adjusting for years of education.

I would say that over the years I have altered my perspective a bit on these issues.  I used to think these factors were correlated, in large part, through a kind of wisdom.  I now think that more of the effect, however much I may sympathize with it, runs through sociological expectation and perceived obligation, combined with conformity and signaling pressures.