Border regions and attitudes on international trade in the European Union

A large literature examines the drivers of individual attitudes over international trade policies. In this article I contribute to this literature by exploring the implications of border regions. Cross-border activities of commuting, shopping, and rendering of services are more pronounced in border regions than in inner areas, which translates into higher perception of benefits gained from international trade. Yet, while pronounced trade effects in border regions increase individuals’ perceptions of benefits, their support for open trade or protectionism is conditional on cosmopolitan views. Including a battery of controls drawn from the literature, I conduct a large-n analysis with individual level data at the NUTS3 and NUTS2 levels form Eurobarometer’s special survey on international trade and show that indeed, individuals living in border regions are more likely to perceive benefits of international trade and their support for open trade is mediated by their cosmopolitan views. This article speaks to the literature on attitudes over trade policy, individual-level analysis, and borders.