publicconsultation.org

As major proposals to change US international trade policy have come into the discourse, a new public consultation survey finds bipartisan majorities of Americans in six swing states, as well as nationally, support the US continuing to have low tariffs with other countries on a mutual basis so long as they abide by agreed-upon rules, rather than raising all tariffs to 10-20 percent.  At the same time, bipartisan majorities approve of the increased tariffs that have been imposed on China in response to their alleged violations of international trade rules.  This survey is the eighth in a series – the Swing Six Issue Surveys – being conducted in the run-up to the November election in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and nationally, on major policy issues by the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland. Unlike standard polls, respondents in a public consultation survey go through an online “policymaking simulation” in which they are provided briefings and arguments for and against each policy. Content is reviewed by experts on different sides to ensure accuracy and balance. All Americans are invited to go through the same policymaking simulation as the survey sample. Director of the Program for Public Consultation, Steven Kull, comments, “While Americans do support the tariff increases targeted at China, bipartisan majorities oppose a tariff increase on imports from all countries.  Large bipartisan majorities support the US continuing to be part of the international agreements for low tariffs within a rules-based system.” [More Detailed Report] Support for Continuing International Trade System of Low Tariffs Respondents were informed that, since World War II, the US has been actively working to promote international trade through a system in which countries negotiate to lower their tariffs on a mutual basis, provided each country abides by agreed-upon rules. The US has such trade arrangements with almost