Replication Data for Local Data Policies, Global Data Politics: How Citizens Evaluate Data Localization Policies and Political Responses

Data localization policies are increasingly central to the political economy of digital globalization. By requiring firms to store and process data within the jurisdictions where the data is collected, data localization policies function as a type of digital trade protectionism. Despite the growing use of such policies globally and their increasing politicization within trade negotiations, it remains unclear how citizens respond to their adoption. In this article, we integrate research on digital globalization and trade preferences to explain citizens’ attitudes toward data localization efforts. Using a factorial experiment embedded in an online, nationally representative survey of Americans, we find clear evidence that frames emphasizing potential costs to the American economy shift attitudes against data localization policies. By comparison, we find null effects for frames that stress the benefits of data localization policies for the digital sovereignty of other countries. We also find stronger evidence that ethnocentric valuations, not geopolitical concerns, shape how Americans evaluate trade agreements that enable such policies. This article contributes to a growing literature on the relationship between citizens, business interests, and the regulatory politics of digital globalization.