Even as both major political parties in the U.S. continue to advocate for increased world trade, a new survey indicates that most Americans would be happy with less.
Altogether, a strong 59% of respondents to a new Pew Research Center survey said they agree with the statement that the “United States has lost more than it has gained” from increased trade.
That opinion is shared by both Democrat and Republican respondents, with 47% of the former expressing negative views of increased trade, and a very large 73% of the latter supporting the same view.
Responses also appeared to have an educational component, with 47% of those with a college degree saying that the U.S. has gained more than it has lost due to increased trade, while only 31% of those with less education were similarly supportive.
And no matter what their opinions on trade as an issue, a distinct minority of respondents to the Pew survey said they regarded the subject as a major issue in the 2024 presidential election.
In fact, out of a list of twenty areas of concern, trade came in dead last, with only 31% of respondents regarding it as a priority, compared with a strong 73% who said making the national economy stronger should be a priority.
On that list of twenty topics, 62% pointed to a need to reduce healthcare costs and 54% pointed to reducing the federal budget deficit.
The trade issue, according to the survey, is also colored to a great degree by exactly what country the U.S. is trading with. Nearly half of respondents, at 47%, said China gets more out of trade relations with the U.S.
But “only 14%,” noted a narrative accompanying the Pew survey, “said the same of U.S. trade relations with Canada.”
By Garry Boulard
