January 01, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States are disappointed with the fact that the American economy has become increasingly global, according to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 58 per cent of respondents think globalization has been bad because it has subjected American companies and employees to unfair competition and cheap labour, up 10 points since June 1997.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States are disappointed with the fact that the American economy has become increasingly global, according to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 58 per cent of respondents think globalization has been bad because it has subjected American companies and employees to unfair competition and cheap labour, up 10 points since June 1997.

Since 1995, 151 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.

On Dec. 21, Democratic Illinois senator Barack Obama—who is seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination this year—discussed his views on global commerce, saying, "We’re not going to stop globalization in its track, but what we can do is have a president who’s standing up for American farmers and workers. When I’m president we’ll give you training before you lose your job if there’s a good chance it will get shipped overseas. We’ll give you an education account that you can use to retrain."

Polling Data

Do you think the fact that the American economy has become increasingly global is good because it has opened up new markets for American products and resulted in more jobs, or bad because it has subjected American companies and employees to unfair competition and cheap labour?

	Dec. 2007	Jun. 1997
Globalization has been good	28%	42%
Globalization has been bad	58%	48%
About equally good and bad	11%	7%
Not sure	3%	3%

Source: Hart/McInturff / The Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,008 American adults, conducted from Dec. 14 to Dec. 17, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.