International Trade

Promoting International Trade

Respondents were given a briefing about the institutions set up to facilitate international trade and the rules they have established. They were also informed about barriers to trade, and the international and regional agreements that lower and remove them. They evaluate arguments for and against promoting international trade, and are then asked:

Promoting International Trade	Results
whether to promote international trade, together with other countries, through a set of agreed-on rules that seek to lower barriers of trade and to ensure trade is done fairly	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

Unemployment Benefits

Respondents were given a briefing about how unemployment benefits are one way that the government mitigates the negative effects of increased trade, and were informed of the amount of unemployment benefits given to people, including the average amount of time they are allowed to collect them (26 weeks), the amount they collect as a percent of their prior income (39%), and the maximum they can collect in a week ($472). They evaluated arguments for and against increasing unemployment benefits, and were given the opportunity to reform those three areas:

Unemployment Benefits	Results
for an ordinary period, when the economy is growing and unemployment is not unusually high, what the maximum number of weeks should be	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
what percentage of their earnings people should get	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
what the maximum amount people should receive per week	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

Respondents were given a briefing about the wage insurance program, and a proposal to expand it. They evaluated arguments for and against the proposal, and were then asked:

whether to enact a program that helps workers who have experienced a drop in income after losing their job, through no fault of their own, by providing them with government benefits equal to 50% of the difference between their old income and their new income for up to two years

Retraining and Workforce Development

Respondents were given a briefing about investment in retraining and workforce development programs as a way that the government mitigates some of the negative effects of increased trade. They were informed how much the US spends on these programs ($6 billion), evaluated arguments for and against increasing that amount, and were asked:

Retraining and Workforce Development	Results
how much the US should spend on these types of programs	National and by Party ID
whether to increase spending on programs to train more Americans in cybersecurity	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
whether to increase spending on programs to train more Americans in the energy industry	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
whether to give employers a tax credit of up to $5,000 to cover the costs of training a qualified individual in an apprenticeship program	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
whether to expand the Trade Adjustment Assistance program to more people who got laid off from their job directly because of trade	National and by Party ID

Labor and Environmental Standards
Respondents were given a briefing about labor and environmental standards in free trade agreements. They evaluated arguments for and against including them in future trade agreements, and were asked:

Labor and Environmental Standards	Results
whether the US should include in all new international trade agreements it enters into: the requirement for the countries to abide by the labor standards they have agreed to and to not lower their standards to attract business or to get a competitive edge; an international system for enforcing this requirement	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
whether to include enforceable environmental standards in new international trade agreements	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

World Trade Organization
Respondents were given a briefing about the World Trade Organization and how its dispute settlement system works, as well as the win-loss record of the US. They evaluated arguments for and against the US continuing to be part of the WTO, and were asked:

World Trade Organization	Results
whether the US should continue to be part of the World Trade Organization	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
Respondents were given a briefing about the additional tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum products, the rationale behind it, and the national security exemption used to impose them. They evaluated arguments for and against invoking the national security exemption to impose additional tariffs, and were asked:

Steel and Aluminum Tariffs	Results
whether they approve or disapprove of the US invoking the national security exemption and imposing tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

Tariffs on China
Respondents were given a briefing about the tariffs imposed on Chinese products, the rationale behind it (ie intellectual property rights violations), and why unilateral imposition of tariffs is controversial. They evaluated arguments for and against continuing to impose tariffs on China, and were then asked:

Tariffs on China	Results
whether the US should continue to impose tariffs on China without first getting a WTO ruling against China	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
whether the US should impose additional tariffs on China, without first getting a WTO ruling against China	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

NAFTA

NAFTA	Results
whether the US should continue to be a part of NAFTA	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

USMCA
Respondents were given a briefing about the new NAFTA deal – USMCA – which included several key aspects of the new deal, such as its effects on the auto industry, prescription drugs, and labor and environmental standards. They evaluated arguments for and against the USMCA, and were asked:

USMCA	Results
whether your representative in Congress should vote for or against this new deal	National and by Party ID	By Demographics
whether in the case that Congress does not pass USMCA the President should withdraw from NAFTA	National and by Party ID	By Demographics

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ABOUT THE SURVEY

Americans on International Trade Policy
A National Survey of Registered Voters
June 2019