March 06, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States have differing views on global commerce, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 65 per cent of respondents think trade with other countries has been good for the U.S. economy, but 51 per cent think the U.S. has lost more because of globalization.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States have differing views on global commerce, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 65 per cent of respondents think trade with other countries has been good for the U.S. economy, but 51 per cent think the U.S. has lost more because of globalization.

In 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) brought Mexico into the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the U.S. that had been in place since 1989. A proposal to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)—encompassing 34 countries in North, Central and South America—has been debated for the past decade.

In May 2004, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua agreed to the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the U.S. The Dominican Republic followed suit in August. Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have also held talks to achieve a free trade deal with the U.S.

Since 1995, 150 countries have joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Russia, along with other 30 nations, has initiated negotiations to become a full member of the group.

Yesterday, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized existing guidelines, saying, "The high U.S. duties on Brazil's ethanol make no sense. If we are going to have free trade, it should give us the opportunity to buy and sell (freely)."

Polling Data

On balance, do you think trade with other countries—both buying and selling products—is good for the U.S. economy, or is it bad for the U.S. economy, or does it have no effect?

	Feb. 2007	Jan. 2006
Good	65%	67%
Bad	23%	20%
No effect	7%	7%
Not sure	5%	5%

Globalization is the increase of trade, communication, travel and other things among countries around the world. In general, has the United States gained more or lost more because of globalization?

Gained	36%
Lost	51%
Both equally	1%
Not sure	12%

Source: The New York Times / CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,281 American adults, conducted from Feb. 23 to Feb. 27, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.