A record number of people see trade growing the U.S. economy, according to a new Gallup poll.
The share of people saying they support trade, 79%, is the highest since the polling organization began asking the question in 1992.
Respondents opposing trade hit a new low, with fewer than 1 in 5 perceiving trade as a “threat to the economy from foreign imports.” This percentage has been on the decline since the Great Recession in 2008, when 52% of respondents had a negative view on trade.
Gallup states the increase in upbeat perceptions on trade tracks closely with the current state of the economy.
“Americans’ perceptions of whether trade is more of a benefit or a hindrance have closely tracked the U.S. economy, particularly since the 2007-2009 recession,” Gallup stated in the poll’s press release. “As that recession got underway, Americans were highly likely to view trade as a threat because of imports. But as the economy improved and unemployment declined to historical lows, so too have perceptions of trade as an economic threat.”
The optimistic view of trade crosses party lines. Roughly 8 in 10 Democrats (82%) and an overwhelming majority of Republicans (78%) see trade as more of an opportunity for growth than a threat from imports. During the 2008 recession, a minority of Republicans (46%) and Democrats (36%) viewed trade as an economic opportunity.
There is even bipartisan support for President Trump’s U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, with 73% of Democrats and 88% of Republicans viewing it as “good” for the United States. But the reasons for supporting the agreement differ between the political parties.
“Republicans may feel confident that trade is in better hands under Trump, while Democrats may feel that supporting trade is supporting the effectiveness of the trade deals put in place or championed by Trump’s Democratic predecessors,” Gallup stated.
