Do the folk actually hold folk-economic beliefs?

ABSTRACT

Boyer & Petersen (B&P) argue that folk-economic beliefs are widespread - shaped by evolved cognitive systems - and they offer exemplar beliefs to illustrate their thesis. In this commentary, we highlight evidence of substantial variation in one of these exemplars beliefs about immigration. Contra claims by B&P, we argue that the balance of this evidence suggests the "folk" may actually hold positive beliefs about the economic impact of immigration.