Free Trade Has Record High Approval Among Americans

Most Americans think free trade with foreign countries is good for the U.S. in this modern global economy.

In an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 57% of Americans said they were in favor of free trade, a six-point increase from when the same question was asked in a December 2015 poll.

More than a third of respondents said free trade was bad for America due to negative effects on manufacturing and other key industries.

Most people felt strongly one side or the other, with 94% of people being either for or against free trade. The number of people against free trade fell four points since the question was posed in December 2015.

Another 3% of people said they were unsure how they felt about the issue.