A recent IZA discussion paper by Hans H. Sievertsen and Sarah Smith reveals that female economists are more effective than their male counterparts in influencing public opinion. The research, conducted through a survey experiment with over 3,000 US participants, tested the effect of opinions expressed by senior economists from leading US universities on topical issues.
The study found that while both male and female experts could sway public opinion, the same opinions were more persuasive when expressed by female economists. Specifically, the influence of female experts was about 20% greater than that of male experts. This effect was consistent across different topics, including AI, climate change, and economic policies.
The research further indicated that the higher persuasiveness of female economists was not attributed to identity concordance, such as gender alignment between the expert and the respondent. Instead, the credentials of female experts seemed to play a significant role in enhancing their perceived credibility.
However, the study noted that this persuasiveness was less pronounced among more conservative respondents, particularly older individuals and those aligned with the Republican Party (see figure below).
The findings challenge existing stereotypes about gender and economic expertise, suggesting that women, despite (or perhaps even due to) their underrepresentation in the media as economic experts, wield significant persuasive power in public discourse.