Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
美国软实力是贸易战的牺牲品吗?来自中国美国电影观看量的证据
Is American Soft Power a Casualty of the Trade War? Evidence from U.S. Movie Viewership in China
摘要
The US trade war against China can either enhance or diminish American soft power in China, depending on whether Chinese citizens view it as legitimate. We study how US movie viewership, a measure of American soft power, responds to the trade war. We find a significantly greater reduction in US movie viewership in regions more exposed to the Trump tariffs, but no corresponding decline in non-US movies. The decline is stronger for action and drama movies, which tend to embody greater perceived “Americanness.” Survey data also show a sharper decline in trust in Americans in more tariff-exposed regions.