The Sputnik Effect: Does the Rise of China Increase Support for Science at Home?

Productivity growth is the key factor in raising the living standards of any society. However, in the United States, it has slowed dramatically since the early 1970s, with only brief periods of revival. Many economists believe that expanding government investment in science and technology could help to increase long-term productivity growth. For decades, scholars have observed that foreign threats have spurred massive public support for increasing spending on science and technology. This is most clearly illustrated by the public and policy response to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in 1957. This study employs an experimental design to investigate whether the growing technological rise of China increases public support for expanding federal spending on science and technology programs. The results show that the threat of Chinese technological dominance substantially increases public support for such spending. This effect was most pronounced among those who considered China a threat, Republicans, and those generally opposed to increasing federal spending. Thus, it demonstrates that the China threat can be used to bolster support for science and technology spending, especially among groups where that support is low.

Recommended citation: Olson, P. The Sputnik Effect: Does the Rise of China Increase Support for Science at Home?
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