Throughout election season, jobs and the economy have been a central issue for both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, each presidential candidate has floated their own proposals for protecting and building up American manufacturing.
While Harris has proposed closing tax loopholes for some large corporations and providing government support for specific areas of the manufacturing sector like clean energy and semiconductors, Trump has pointed to tariffs as a key component of his trade policy, proposing a 10% or 20% tariff on all imported goods and a 60% tariff on goods imported from China.
Trump has also proposed a reciprocal trade policy, where the U.S. would charge countries the same tariff for their goods if they raise tariffs on American goods above what the U.S. has imposed for the same type of products.
The Trump campaign has argued a Harris presidency would result in a loss of manufacturing jobs to nations like China and Mexico, while Harris has blasted Trump’s proposed tariffs, arguing the increased cost of sending goods to the U.S. would result in rising costs for American families and calling it a “sales tax on the American people.”
According to a recent survey from the University of Maryland Program for Public Consultation, voters in six swing states have spoken out against Trump’s proposals of raising tariffs 10 to 20%, with a majority of voters on both sides of the aisle supporting low tariffs on countries that abide by mutual trade rules while continuing to impose high tariffs on China.
The survey found 80 to 85% of voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin agreed the U.S. should continue working with other countries to support the current system of tariffs.
It also found 31% of voters across the U.S. backed a 10 to 20% increase on tariffs, while 68% said the U.S. should continue to have low tariffs on other nations on the condition that they abide by their trade agreement with the U.S. Among that 68% was 60% of Republicans surveyed and 77% of Democrats.
In Michigan, 34% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats agreed with increasing tariffs to 10% or 20%, with 28% overall backing Trump’s proposal.
Additionally, 71% of voters surveyed agreed the U.S. should continue to impose high tariffs on China, including 69% of Michigan voters.
When asked if the U.S. should actively work to make trade requirements that required labor standards, 82% of Michiganders said they were in favor, with 79% of Michigan Republicans and 89% of Michigan Democrats supporting trade deals that included policies prohibiting child labor and supporting the right of workers to collectively bargain. Across the U.S. 82% of voters favored trade deals with requirements for labor standards.
Voters were also asked whether they support environmental standards in U.S. trade deals with 78% of U.S. voters supporting the proposal. Among Michigan Republican voters, 70% favored the U.S. including enforceable environmental requirements, compared to 85% of Democrats. Overall, 76% of Michiganders backed environmental standards as a component of trade deals.
A survey from the University of Maryland Program for Public Consultation examines voter attitudes on labor standards in trade policy. | Program For Public Consultation
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