{"id":48231,"date":"2016-08-18T13:58:42","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T18:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2016\/08\/18\/5-issues-and-the-2016-campaign\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:47:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:47:29","slug":"5-issues-and-the-2016-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2016\/08\/18\/5-issues-and-the-2016-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"5. Issues and the 2016 campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

On free trade, an issue area that has been front and center in the 2016 campaign, Trump supporters are broadly negative: They see trade agreements as having been bad for the U.S. and their own family\u2019s finances and think the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be a bad thing for the country. Clinton supporters are on the opposite side of the issue: Most view free trade agreements positively and say they have done more to help than hurt their family\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n\n

In addition, there are signs that Trump\u2019s focus on trade has moved Republicans from a generally positive view of free trade agreements to a more negative one.<\/p>\n\n

Clinton supporters broadly back an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, while a majority of Trump supporters are opposed. There also are fundamental differences between Clinton and Trump supporters in their views of the government\u2019s role in regulating business and helping needy Americans.<\/p>\n\n

Views of free trade agreements and the TPP<\/h3>\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Donald Trump supporters are broadly critical of the impact of free trade agreements on the U.S. generally and of the potential impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. By contrast, most Clinton backers have a positive impression of free trade and the TPP.<\/p>\n\n

Far more Trump supporters say free trade agreements have been a bad thing (68%) than good thing (26%) for the U.S. When it comes to the proposed TPP agreement, views are also broadly negative: 58% say the TPP would be bad for the U.S., compared with just 17% who say it would be good for the U.S. A quarter of Trump supporters (25%) do not express an opinion about how the TPP would affect the U.S.<\/p>\n\n

By 59% to 32%, more Clinton supporters say free trade agreements have been a good thing than bad thing for the U.S. Clinton supporters also view the potential impact of the TPP positively: 55% say it would be a good thing for the U.S., while 24% say it would be a bad thing and 21% are unsure about its impact on the country or say they have not heard of it.<\/p>\n\n

Over the course of the last year, Republicans\u2019 overall views on the issue of free trade have shifted in a more negative direction, while Democratic views are little changed.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

In the current survey, nearly twice as many Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters say free trade agreements have been a bad thing for the U.S. than say they have been a good thing (61%-32%). This reflects a sharp shift in GOP opinion from just over a year ago. In May 2015 \u2013 one month before Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination \u2013 more Republican voters said free trade agreements had been a good thing for the U.S. (51%) than said they had been a bad thing (39%). Current Republican views on free trade agreements are more negative than they have been at any point going back to 2009, the first time Pew Research Center asked this question.<\/p>\n\n

By 58% to 34%, more Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters say free trade agreements have been a good thing than say they have been a bad thing for the U.S. These views are little changed in recent years but are somewhat more positive than in 2009, when 48% of Democrats called free trade agreements a good thing for the U.S., compared with 37% who called them a bad thing.<\/p>\n\n

Differences in views of free trade extend to assessments of how these agreements have impacted voters\u2019 personal finances.<\/p>\n\n

Among all registered voters, 45% say free trade agreements have definitely or probably hurt their family\u2019s financial situation, while 40% say they have definitely or probably helped them.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

By a wide 68%-24% margin, far more Trump supporters say their family\u2019s finances have been hurt than helped by free trade agreements. Clinton supporters have more positive views: 51% think free trade has definitely or probably helped their family\u2019s financial situation, compared with 32% who think free trade agreements have definitely or probably hurt their family.<\/p>\n\n

Across age groups, young voters are much more likely than older voters to say their finances have been helped by free trade agreements. Among those 18-29, 66% think their finances have been helped by free trade; fewer than half of all older age cohorts say the same.<\/p>\n\n

Those with a postgraduate degree are more likely to say free trade agreements have helped than hurt their family\u2019s finances by a 56%-26% margin. Views are more mixed among those with a college degree (43% helped, 40% hurt) and those with some college experience (42% helped, 45% hurt). Among those with no more than a high school diploma, far more say free trade agreements have definitely or probably hurt their family\u2019s finances (57%) than say they have definitely or probably helped (30%).<\/p>\n\n

Clinton and Trump supporters at odds over $15 minimum wage\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/h3>\n\n

A proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour has emerged as an issue in the 2016 presidential campaign. A wide majority of Clinton supporters (82%) favor raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour; nearly as many Trump supporters (76%) are opposed to this increase.<\/p>\n\n

By a 54%-44% margin, more whites oppose than favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Among blacks (89%) and Hispanics (71%), large majorities favor increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.<\/p>\n\n

Voters with family incomes of under $30,000 a year (67%) are much more likely than those earning $30,000-$74,999 (46%) or $75,000 or more a year (48%) to support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.<\/p>\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n

Views on government regulation of business and aid to the needy<\/h3>\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Overall, 51% of voters say government regulation of business usually does more harm than good, compared with somewhat fewer (44%) who say regulation is necessary to protect the public interest.<\/p>\n\n

Nearly eight-in-ten (79%) Trump supporters say government regulation usually does more harm than good, while just 17% say it is a necessary safeguard. Views among Clinton supporters are the reverse: 70% say government regulation of business is necessary to protect the public interest, compared with 27% who say it usually has a negative effect.<\/p>\n\n

Postgraduates are the most likely to say government regulation of business is necessary to protect the public interest (59%). There is less support for government regulation of business among those with less education, particularly among those with no college experience (34% see regulation as necessary to protect the public\u2019s interest).<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Clinton and Trump supporters also disagree over government aid to needy Americans. By about three-to-one (72%-25%), Clinton supporters say the government should do more to help needy Americans, even if it means going deeper into debt. By roughly the same margin (71%-21%), Trump supporters take the opposite view and say that the government today can\u2019t afford to do much more to help the needy.<\/p>\n\n

Most voters with family incomes of under $30,000 a year (63%) say the government should do more to help the needy, even if it means going deeper into debt. About half or more of those with family incomes of $30,000 a year or more, say the government can\u2019t afford to do much more to help the needy.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On free trade, an issue area that has been front and center in the 2016 campaign, Trump supporters are broadly negative: They see trade agreements as having been bad for the U.S. and their own family\u2019s finances and think the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be a bad thing for the country. Clinton supporters are on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":306,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[68,42,25,39],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[520],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-48231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-trump","category-election-2016","category-politics-policy","category-us-elections-voters","formats-report","research-teams-politics"],"label":false,"post_parent":48283,"word_count":1162,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2016\/08\/18\/5-issues-and-the-2016-campaign\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":63951,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":63951,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":63951,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":63951,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":63951,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png?w=640&h=320&crop=1","width":640,"height":320,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":63951,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/PP_16.08.17_politicsFeatured.png?w=640&h=320&crop=1","width":640,"height":320,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":48283,"title":"Clinton, Trump Supporters Have Starkly Different Views of a Changing Nation","slug":"clinton-trump-supporters-have-starkly-different-views-of-a-changing-nation","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2016\/08\/18\/clinton-trump-supporters-have-starkly-different-views-of-a-changing-nation\/","is_active":false},{"id":48271,"title":"1. 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