Tariffs Toward Specific Countries

Key Point Summary

  • Public opinion on tariffs varies considerably when survey questions name specific countries to which the tariffs apply. Americans tilt towards more positive than negative views of tariffs when they are imposed on Chinese goods, although by small margins. China is the only country where this favorability holds consistently across surveys.
  • The American public is more resistant to tariffs on neighbors and allies, with majority opposition to tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the EU.

Bottom line: China tariffs are politically viable, but tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and EU are much less popular. Americans consistently distinguish between economic adversaries and trading partners.

Availability of Data and Confidence in Conclusions

This assessment draws on 23 unique questions from 11 nationally representative surveys conducted between April 2023 and July 2025, with a total sample size of approximately 22,300. Coverage among countries is uneven: China is referenced in five different questions, whereas the EU is referenced in only one. No true repeated-measure series exists for any individual country, and results are sensitive to the specific tariff rate named, whether countries are bundled or asked about separately, and whether the question attributes tariffs to President Trump. The absence of surveys after July 2025 further limits the relevance of conclusions.

Overall Confidence: GOOD.

Policy Implications

  • Tariffs on Chinese goods appear to be the most politically viable option, although support for such tariffs is by no means a substantial majority.
  • Policymakers' support for tariffs on Canada and the EU carries greater political risk. Both are longstanding allies, and the available data suggest that Americans draw a distinction between economic adversaries and trading partners. As an example, opposition to Canada tariffs reaches 61% among registered voters to 64% among national adults [1, 2], across multiple surveys, and even when the tariff rate is modest.
  • Framing tariffs on Mexican goods as a tool for immigration enforcement does not appear to increase favorability. A majority of registered voters opposed large tariffs on Canada and Mexico, even when the question included this immigration policy rationale. [3]

Detailed Discussion

Public opinion on tariffs directed at specific countries reveals a clear hierarchy of favorability, with China at the top, followed by Mexico, and then Canada and the EU at the bottom.

China

  • Americans' opinions about tariffs on Chinese goods generally tilt more positive than negative, although support remains at or just above the majority level.
  • In April 2023, as a baseline measure, 56% of adults supported increasing tariffs on Chinese imports. [4]
  • Across most polling conducted in 2025, support for tariffs on products from China was in the 48% to 55% range among national adults, with one registered voter survey at the top of that range, and opposition in the 44% to 49% range. [5, 6, 7, 8]
  • One survey conducted in April 2025 found results contrary to these other measures. The question asked about tariffs on China as part of "the increased tariffs Donald Trump has imposed", and asked if they were good policy, bad policy, or neither. The responses showed 32% of national adults called the tariffs on China "good policy", while 53% called them "bad policy". [9] This shift may reflect the direct reference to Trump, the use of the words "policy", or other factors.

Mexico

  • Mexico tariffs consistently generate more opposition than favorability, with clear majorities in the 55% to 60% range opposed across multiple surveys of both national adults and registered voters. [10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15] Framing Mexico tariffs as an immigration enforcement tool produced 53% opposition among registered voters in January 2025, with no evidence that the rationale shifted public opinion favorably. [3]

Canada and the EU

  • Canada tariffs are the most unpopular among Americans. Opposition to such tariffs reached 61% among registered voters in March 2025 [1] and 64% among national adults in February 2025 [2], when a 25% rate was named. The EU, with only one data point (42% of registered voters in favor, 54% opposed, for a 30% tariff in July 2025) [16], occupies a similar position in Americans' attitudes.

Questions that combine Mexico, Canada, and China into a single item tend to produce lower overall favorability for tariffs than China-only questions, consistent with the view that the inclusion of less-popular countries pulls down aggregate favorability. [17]

Impact of Question Wording and Other Survey Factors

Several question differences appear to generate different responses to country-specific tariffs.

  • Bundling countries together into a single question reduces support relative to China-only questions. A December 2024 poll of registered voters asking about tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China together found only 38% support, which is much less than what China-only questions produce. [17]
  • Questions that include a specific tariff rate appear to reduce support, particularly for allied nations. Specifying a 25% tariff rate on Canada produced 31% support [2], and specifying a 25% rate on Mexico produced 35% support [15], both of which are lower than generic tariff questions on the same countries. The same pattern holds for the EU.
  • A few questions asking about tariffs explicitly associated them with Trump, while the majority did not. Without controlled experimental testing, it is not possible to determine what impact this has on Americans' responses.

Trends Over Time

No true repeated-measure series exists for tariffs on any single country, which limits the ability to draw confident trend conclusions.

  • For tariffs on China, opinions remained fairly constant in 2025, with one exception from an April 2025 poll, which showed a majority saying such tariffs were bad policy. [9]
  • For Mexico, two comparable data points among registered voters (43% favor in March 2025 [10]; 39% favor a 30% tariff in July 2025 [18]) suggest a modest decline, though the different rate specifications limit interpretation.
  • For the EU, only one data point is available (42% favor a 30% tariff, July 2025), making trend analysis impossible. [16]

Citations

  1. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research. (2025). Fox News Poll. Fielded 3/14/25–3/17/25.
  2. Washington Post/Ipsos. (2025). Support is mixed for the Trump administration's executive orders and policies. Fielded 2/13/25–2/18/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  3. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research. (2025). Fox News Poll. Fielded 1/10/25–1/13/25.
  4. The Conference Board/Ipsos. (2023). Americans not optimistic about U.S.-China Cooperation. Fielded 4/7/23–4/9/23. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  5. Washington Post/Ipsos. (2025). Support is mixed for the Trump administration's executive orders and policies. Fielded 2/13/25–2/18/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  6. Reuters/Ipsos. (2025). Reuters/Ipsos Large Sample Poll February 2025 - 2. Fielded 2/13/25–2/18/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  7. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research. (2025). Fox News Poll. Fielded 3/14/25–3/17/25.
  8. Reuters/Ipsos. (2025). Reuters/Ipsos Issues Survey April 2025. Fielded 4/16/25–4/21/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  9. CNN/SSRS. (2025). A growing majority says Trump has made the economy worse, with most skeptical of his tariff plans. Fielded 4/17/25–4/24/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  10. Fox News/Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research. (2025). Fox News Poll. Fielded 3/14/25–3/17/25.
  11. Reuters/Ipsos. (2025). Most Americans say prices will increase due to tariffs. Fielded 4/4/25–4/6/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  12. Reuters/Ipsos. (2025). Reuters/Ipsos Issues Survey April 2025. Fielded 4/16/25–4/21/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  13. Reuters/Ipsos. (2025). Reuters/Ipsos Large Sample Poll February 2025 - 2. Fielded 2/13/25–2/18/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  14. Ipsos. (2025). Support for some Trump executive orders is mixed. Fielded 1/24/25–1/26/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  15. Washington Post/Ipsos. (2025). Support is mixed for the Trump administration's executive orders and policies. Fielded 2/13/25–2/18/25. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  16. Wall Street Journal/Impact Research/Fabrizio, Lee & Associates. (2025). Nationwide Poll July 2025. Fielded 7/16/25–7/20/25.
  17. Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. (2024). Slight Majority Oppose Tariffs On Mexico, Canada & China. Fielded 12/12/24–12/16/24. Accessed via Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
  18. Wall Street Journal/Impact Research/Fabrizio, Lee & Associates. (2025). Nationwide Poll July 2025. Fielded 7/16/25–7/20/25.

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