Page 26 - The South China Business Journal
P. 26
C. Today
New Poll Shows Americans’ Views
of NAFTA More Pragmatic than
Protectionist
• 45 percent of Americans view NAFTA as contributing to economic growth in
the U.S. over the past 20 years.
• 43 percent believe NAFTA has contributed to the growth of America's
knowledge economy (e.g., professional services, engineering, IT, etc.).
• Close to one in five Americans (17 percent) believes the U.S. should neither
renegotiate nor withdraw from NAFTA because it is already an effective
agreement or because doing so will harm key industries.
• About one in five Americans (19 percent) believes the U.S. made the right
decision to renegotiate NAFTA because the agreement needs to be modernized.
• Only about one in 10 Americans (13 percent) believes the U.S. made the right
decision to renegotiate NAFTA because the trade deal is unfair to America;
and only six percent believe the U.S. should withdraw from the agreement.
Many Americans see the North American Free economy over the past 20 years and more than half (57
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a contributing percent) believe a withdrawal from NAFTA is likely
factor to the growth of the U.S. economy over the past to result in a price increase on everyday goods, while
20 years and the proliferation of high-skilled jobs, and only six percent of Americans believe the U.S. should
believe the focus of the NAFTA negotiations should be withdraw from the agreement altogether.
modernizing the agreement, not withdrawing from it.
“These recent data suggest Americans hold a mea-
Those insights were revealed in a recent survey sured view of NAFTA and would like to see the govern-
commissioned by Livingston International Inc. and ment take a balanced and sensible approach in the
conducted online by Harris Poll among more than NAFTA negotiations,” said Daniel McHugh, Chief Ex-
2,000 U.S. adults ages 18+. Though it is often portrayed ecutive Officer, Livingston International. “Americans
as a bad deal for their country, data from the survey recognize and understand that NAFTA has resulted in
indicate Americans seem to have put the trade deal in a variety of effects on the U.S. economy, most of which
context with the broader changes that have taken place have been positive, and withdrawing from the agree-
in the economy and do not seem to single it out as a ment will likely lead to unwanted and unnecessary
principal cause of economic adversity. economic disruption.”
Despite often heated rhetoric around the subject, Less than half of Americans (42 percent) see NAFTA
almost half of Americans (45 percent) believe the as primarily responsible for the loss of American
trade deal has greatly influenced growth in the U.S. manufacturing jobs to workers in other countries,
24 AmCham South China
New Poll Shows Americans’ Views
of NAFTA More Pragmatic than
Protectionist
• 45 percent of Americans view NAFTA as contributing to economic growth in
the U.S. over the past 20 years.
• 43 percent believe NAFTA has contributed to the growth of America's
knowledge economy (e.g., professional services, engineering, IT, etc.).
• Close to one in five Americans (17 percent) believes the U.S. should neither
renegotiate nor withdraw from NAFTA because it is already an effective
agreement or because doing so will harm key industries.
• About one in five Americans (19 percent) believes the U.S. made the right
decision to renegotiate NAFTA because the agreement needs to be modernized.
• Only about one in 10 Americans (13 percent) believes the U.S. made the right
decision to renegotiate NAFTA because the trade deal is unfair to America;
and only six percent believe the U.S. should withdraw from the agreement.
Many Americans see the North American Free economy over the past 20 years and more than half (57
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a contributing percent) believe a withdrawal from NAFTA is likely
factor to the growth of the U.S. economy over the past to result in a price increase on everyday goods, while
20 years and the proliferation of high-skilled jobs, and only six percent of Americans believe the U.S. should
believe the focus of the NAFTA negotiations should be withdraw from the agreement altogether.
modernizing the agreement, not withdrawing from it.
“These recent data suggest Americans hold a mea-
Those insights were revealed in a recent survey sured view of NAFTA and would like to see the govern-
commissioned by Livingston International Inc. and ment take a balanced and sensible approach in the
conducted online by Harris Poll among more than NAFTA negotiations,” said Daniel McHugh, Chief Ex-
2,000 U.S. adults ages 18+. Though it is often portrayed ecutive Officer, Livingston International. “Americans
as a bad deal for their country, data from the survey recognize and understand that NAFTA has resulted in
indicate Americans seem to have put the trade deal in a variety of effects on the U.S. economy, most of which
context with the broader changes that have taken place have been positive, and withdrawing from the agree-
in the economy and do not seem to single it out as a ment will likely lead to unwanted and unnecessary
principal cause of economic adversity. economic disruption.”
Despite often heated rhetoric around the subject, Less than half of Americans (42 percent) see NAFTA
almost half of Americans (45 percent) believe the as primarily responsible for the loss of American
trade deal has greatly influenced growth in the U.S. manufacturing jobs to workers in other countries,
24 AmCham South China
