Islam and Mass Preferences towards Foreign Direct Investment in Tunisia

Are globalization and Islam in conflict with one another in the eyes of Muslims? Does support for globalization fall or increase when it embraces or challenges Islamic dress, prayer, and other practices? We examine through different experimental tests how Tunisians react to globalization in the form of foreign direct investment in their country when it accommodates or conflicts with Islamic norms. Using three original sources of data, including a large representative survey (N=4986) of Tunisian citizens, a conjoint survey experiment (N=1502), and an original survey experiment with experimental social vignettes (N=504), we examine how threats (and non-threats) from FDI to Islamic norms affect support for FDI. On average, we find strong support for FDI, but these levels of support aren’t stable. We find the support for FDI falls by almost 32% if it is seen to clash with female Islamic dress. Support is highest when it accommodates Islamic practices, especially the female hijab and lowest when it is perceived to disregard these practices.