{"id":297410,"date":"2026-04-01T14:51:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T18:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=297410"},"modified":"2026-04-03T15:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:10:01","slug":"how-americans-view-trumps-handling-of-trade-and-tariffs","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/01\/how-americans-view-trumps-handling-of-trade-and-tariffs\/","title":{"rendered":"How Americans view Trump\u2019s handling of trade and tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"President
President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a year since President Donald Trump announced widespread tariffs<\/a> on many U.S. trading partners, a move he billed as \u201cLiberation Day.\u201d Today, a majority of Americans are skeptical of his handling of the issue: Nearly six-in-ten adults (58%) are not too or not at all confident that Trump can make good decisions about U.S. trade policy, and 63% express little or no confidence in his handling of tariff policy, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey also shows that Americans\u2019 attitudes toward trade relations with the United States\u2019 top three trading partners \u2013 China, Canada and Mexico \u2013 have shifted somewhat since last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center analysis examines Americans\u2019 attitudes toward U.S. trade policy, including relations with three key partners: China, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. This analysis builds on our previous work examining Americans\u2019 views of U.S. trade with China, Canada and Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For this analysis, we surveyed 3,507 adults from March 23 to 29, 2026. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel<\/a>. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the survey questions used for this analysis<\/a>, the detailed responses<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data on trade between the U.S. and its major trading partners comes from the Census Bureau\u2019s monthly report on international trade<\/a> published March 12.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

How Republicans and Democrats view Trump\u2019s handling of trade and tariffs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Confidence in Trump\u2019s handling of U.S. trade and tariff policy differs by party and age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are about six times more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to express confidence that Trump can make good decisions on trade policy (74% vs. 12%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older Republicans and Democrats are furthest apart on this question: 84% of Republicans ages 50 and older are confident in Trump on this issue, including 48% who are very <\/em>confident in him. By contrast, 92% of Democrats ages 50 and older are not confident in Trump\u2019s handling of trade policy, including 69% who are not confident at all<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also partisan and demographic differences in views of Trump\u2019s decision-making around tariff policy, which we asked about separately. For example, 66% of Republicans have confidence in Trump’s decisions on tariffs, while 91% of Democrats lack confidence. Across partisan and age groups, Americans are more skeptical of his ability to make good decisions about tariffs than his handling of trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/em><\/strong>Americans largely disapprove of Trump\u2019s tariff increases<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Views of U.S. trade with China, Canada and Mexico<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We also asked Americans to evaluate the trade relationships between the U.S. and its top three international trading partners: China, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Trade with China<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n