As NAFTA talk ramps up, Americans not eager to ditch Canada in Trump era, poll suggests
It could be a new world order following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, but America still holds old friend Canada in high regard, according to a new survey.
The Angus Reid Institute public opinion poll found that 80 per cent of respondents had a positive view of their northern neighbour. The survey suggests 57 per cent of Americans believe the new administration should treat Canada “as a valued partner and ally” along with 23 per cent who say the U.S. should be “on friendly terms” with their largest trading partner.
Attitudes toward traditional U.S. allies in Europe and other English-speaking countries are similar, but Canada tops the list of nations that Americans see as a mutually-beneficial partner.
Other countries respondents consider “friendly” include the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, France and Germany.
With the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) potentially up for renegotiation under Trump, these poll findings could be good news for Canadian consumers and businesses.
The same can’t be said for Mexico, which the poll suggests isn’t being viewed as favourably by Americans. Only 17 per cent of people said the U.S. should see the Spanish-speaking country as a valued partner and 12 per cent called the southern neighbour a potential threat or enemy.
Canada is also seen in a far better light than Mexico when it came to being a nice place to visit and providing secure borders against terror threats and illegal immigration, the poll suggests.
However, Angus Reid found that Trump supporters are three times more likely to have unfavourable views of Mexico versus supporters of Hillary Clinton. Regardless, the survey suggests that the majority of both Trump and Clinton supporters felt that Mexico did not do enough to secure is borders.
The results could be illuminating for the new administration as it moves forward on promises to reopen NAFTA. The poll suggests that 77 per cent of Americans believe trade with Canada benefits both countries equally while only 35 per cent had that opinion of trade with Mexico.
More than 60 per cent of Americans who backed Trump in the U.S. election want the U.S. role in NAFTA to be reduced or terminated, the poll found.
The self-commissioned online survey was conducted from Jan. 13-17. It polled a representative randomized sample of 1,503 American adults who are already members of the Springboard America consumer research panel. Online surveys don’t produce a margin of error, but for comparison’s sake, a sample this size generally carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
