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Global Issues >> International Trade
International Trade
Overwhelming Support
for Trade when Workers Are Helped
Some observers have speculated that Americans' stated reservations
about trade based on concerns for workers, the environment
and so on, are actually a cover for a more fundamental ideological
opposition to trade--a covert form of protectionism. However,
the way Americans respond to the prospect that their concerns
will be addressed suggests the contrary--that there is the
potential for overwhelming support for trade.
Data from PIPA studies support this interpretation. Most
recently, in a January 2004 poll, when the possibility was
presented of a government program to help workers who lose
their jobs as a result of free trade, only 22% persisted in
holding a protectionist view, while an overwhelming 73% supported
free trade under some condition. This is only slightly lower
than in October 1999, when 84% supported the free trade view
and only 14% were solidly protectionist.
The question began:
As you may know, there are various views on the
question of whether the US should promote freer trade. There
are also different views on the question of whether the US
government should have programs that try to
In June 2002 the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations/Harris
Interactive, respondents were asked the same question. According
to the poll, an overwhelming majority 89% support free trade.
Of those respondents 73% "favor free trade" but
"believe that it is necessary for the government to have
programs to help workers who lose their jobs". Sixteen
percent agreed that they "favor free trade" but
do not "believe that it is not necessary for the government
to have programs to help workers who lost their jobs."
Only 9% indicated that they did not support free trade. [1]
Another June 2005 PIPA question found strong majority support
for lowering trade barriers through free trade agreements,
with a majority offering their support contingent on the government
helping workers who lose their jobs. Given three choices,
55% chose, "I favor agreements between the US and other
countries to mutually lower trade barriers, provided the government
has programs to help workers who lose their jobs." Another
11% favored free trade agreements but opposed such government
help - thus the total in favor of free trade agreements was
66%. Only 27% opposed agreements to lower trade barriers irrespective
of government efforts to help those hurt by more open trade.
In July 2004, CCFR ran a question with three very similar
options. It found 48% in favor of lowering trade barriers
along with programs to help workers and another 10% in favor
of agreements to lower trade barriers irrespective of the
government's actions. Thirty-four percent opposed lowering
trade barriers.[2]
Further evidence is found in the October 1999 PIPA study,
when an overwhelming 87% agreed (56% strongly) with the statement,
"I would favor more free trade, if I was confident that
we were making major efforts to educate and retrain Americans
to be competitive in the global economy." Only 11% disagreed.
[3]
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