As new tariffs take hold, more see negative than positive impact for the U.S.
Americans’ views of the new tariffs between the United States and some of its trading partners tilt more negative than positive.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Americans’ views of the new tariffs between the United States and some of its trading partners tilt more negative than positive.
The Trump administration’s plans to impose $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports, as well as tariffs recently placed on imported steel and aluminum and on imports of solar panels and washing machines, mark a distinct break from decades of U.S. trade policy, which long has generally favored lower tariffs and fewer restrictions on the movement of goods and services across international borders.
The highest U.S. tariffs aren’t on imports from its biggest trading partners, but on products from several developing South Asian nations whose exports are heavily weighted toward clothing, footwear and other products that the U.S. generally taxes highly.
Most Americans say that NAFTA is good for the United States, and relatively few say that Mexico or Canada benefit more from the agreement than the U.S. does.
Average tariff rates, while useful for comparison, can obscure the wide range of rates imposed on different classes of imports and on specific products.
Foreign-owned companies employed 6.8 million workers in the United States in 2015, up 22% from 2007. Overall, foreign-owned companies accounted for 5.5% of all U.S. private sector employment in 2015.
Across 30 nations, a median of 38% now say U.S. power and influence poses a major threat to their country, up 13 percentage points from 2013.
Americans adopted around 5,370 children from other countries in fiscal year 2016. For the first time, males outnumbered females among adoptees from abroad.
While North American Free Trade Agreement enjoys wide support from Canadians and Mexicans, it is viewed less favorably in the United States.
Public debt has increased sharply in many countries in recent years, particularly during and after the Great Recession.
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