In theory, the Republicans are the party of free trade. In practice, it doesn’t always work out that way. According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, voters on the right are nearly as likely to doubt the benefits of trade as their counterparts on the left.
The survey found only “modest” differences between self-identified Democrats and Republicans on questions of whether free trade hurts the national economy, lowers wages, or kills jobs. Where there were significant differences of opinion, they didn’t necessarily fall along party lines. When asked whether free trade contributes to economic growth, respondents who identified themselves as liberal Democrats were on par with those who called themselves conservative Republicans, with 35 percent of each group agreeing. Moderate Democrats were considerably more pessimistic.
The bottom line: Support for trade is linked more closely to demographics than to partisan affiliation. “Better educated and more affluent Americans,” Pew concludes, “regardless of party, generally view free trade more positively.”
GRAPH (not available online): Does Free Trade Lead to U.S. Economic Growth?
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press