Washington: Americans are divided on a set of foreign tariffs recently announced by President Donald Trump, according to a new IPSOS poll fielded shortly after Trump's Liberation Day announcement. The poll finds that less than half of Americans support 25% tariffs on all cars and trucks made outside the U.S. or tariffs of at least 10% on all of the U.S.' trading partners. The poll also finds that four in five Republicans say short-term economic pain is worth it to make the U.S. stronger in the long term, compared to half of independents and one in four Democrats.
Four in five Americans (82%) say they are familiar with Trump's recent announcement about tariffs. Democrats (51%) are much more likely to say they are 'very familiar' than Republicans (36%). Two in five Americans support new tariffs, or taxes, on imported goods from Mexico (39%) and new tariffs of at least 10% on all of the United States' trading partners (39%). Roughly one in three Americans support new tariffs, or taxes, on imported goods from Canada (35%) and new tariffs of 25% on all cars and trucks made outside the U.S. (35%).
Republicans are significantly more likely to support these tariffs than Democrats and independents. At least seven in ten Republicans say they support these four tariffs, while around one in ten Democrats say the same. Republicans are less likely to correctly answer that the statement 'Tariffs are taxes paid by the country exporting goods' is false (19% of Republicans answer this correctly, compared to 32% of Americans overall). Fox News/Conservative media viewers are also more likely to incorrectly say that this statement is true (72%) compared to consumers of other types of media.
Half of Americans say other countries have been taking advantage of the U.S. when it comes to international trade (52%). Republicans (85%) are more likely than independents (55%) and Democrats (25%) to feel this way.
Three in four Americans say new tariffs should be targeted at countries taking advantage of the system, not at everyone (76%), including majorities of Republicans (82%), Democrats (76%), and independents (77%).
Overall, roughly half of Americans say short-term economic pain is worth it to make the U.S. stronger in the long term (49%). This sentiment is significantly higher among Republicans (81%) compared to Democrats (23%) and independents (49%).
Most Americans say prices on a variety of goods will increase due to tariffs, while just one in five say they have seen grocery or gasoline costs go down in the last three months.
Three in four say that over the next six months, prices will increase for personal electronics and phones (77%), automobiles (73%), and the items they buy everyday (73%). Majorities also say the same of household appliances (72%), fresh produce (70%), home repairs and improvements (62%), and dairy items such as milk and cheese (56%).
Republicans are less likely than Democrats or independents to say prices of these goods will increase in the next six months. One in five Americans say they have seen grocery or gasoline costs go down in the last three months (21%); Republicans (38%) are more likely to feel this way than Democrats (8%).
Two in five say they have had to delay making a purchase because they didn't have the money (39%), 21% say they have been unable to pay a bill on time, and 16% say they had to go into debt or use retirement savings to make ends meet (16%) over the last three months. These levels are roughly in line with previous Ipsos polls conducted in late 2024 and early 2025. Americans also remain divided on the impact of inflation during former President Joe Biden's administration. Republicans (54%) are more likely than Democrats (12%) to correctly answer that 'Inflation was the highest it's ever been during the Biden administration.'
More than half of Americans (55%) say they support downsizing the federal government. However, only 39% support the effort to quickly reduce the size of the federal government workforce through deferred resignations and firings. One in three support proposals to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (35%); 71% of Republicans and 4% of Democrats support this.
Roughly one in three support temporarily freezing federal funding for government grants and services in the U.S. (34%) and freezing the funding for the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and other public health agencies (30%).
This Reuters/IPSOS poll was conducted from April 4 to April 6, 2025, using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,027 adults age 18 or older. The sample includes 268 Republicans, 337 Democrats, and 321 independents.
The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult U.S. population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS - a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the U.S. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.
The data for the total sample were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, and household income. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2024 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The 2024 presidential vote choice benchmarks came from the federal elections 2024 election results for the U.S. President.
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.13. For Republicans, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 6.2 percentage points, and the design effect is 1.08. For Democrats, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 5.6 percentage points, and the design effect is 1.10. For independents, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 5.8 percentage points, and the design effect is 1.14.
The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
Meanwhile the latest Reuters/IPSOS survey indicates President Donald Trump's approval rating remains steady, with just over two in five Americans approving of his job performance. Most Americans express dissatisfaction with the direction of the cost of living, inflation, and the national economy. Concerning "signalgate," a clear majority view the use of unsecured channels for discussing military actions as reckless, and believe President Trump should take responsibility; meanwhile, on tariffs and international trade, most anticipate higher costs due to tariffs and disapprove of the president's handling of international trade policy.
Forty-three percent of Americans approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as president, while 53% disapprove. On specific policy areas, approval is varied. Forty-eight percent approve of Trump's handling of immigration, 37% approve of his management of the economy, and just 30% approve of how he is addressing the cost of living.
A majority of Americans believe key national issues are moving in the wrong direction. Sixty-one percent believe the cost of living is on the wrong track, closely followed by 59% who share similar concerns about inflation. Fifty-three percent indicate that both the national economy and national politics are on the wrong track, and 52% feel the same way about international trade. In contrast, immigration policy is viewed somewhat more positively, with 45% saying it is moving in the right direction.
In terms of favorability toward public figures, Donald Trump is viewed favorably by 45% of Americans, Pete Hegseth by 27%, and Mike Waltz by 25%. About one in three Americans say they have never heard of either Hegseth (31%) or Waltz (29%) to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of either. Regarding the incident known as "signalgate," a majority of Americans (78%) express concern that U.S. military personnel could be endangered if leaders discuss military actions through unsecured channels. Additionally, 74% say that discussing attack plans on unsecured channels involving a journalist was reckless. Seventy percent believe that President Trump should accept responsibility for administration officials discussing sensitive plans via a messaging app, while only 32% agree that the media has exaggerated the seriousness of this incident.
On tariffs and international trade, public opinion is generally critical. Fifty-two percent disapprove of Trump's handling of international trade. Seventy percent agree that increased tariffs on imported goods will lead to higher prices for groceries and other regular purchases. Additionally, 53% of Americans disagree with the idea that the U.S. should impose higher tariffs on imported goods if it results in increased prices. Fifty-two percent believe that raising tariffs on vehicles and auto parts would negatively impact them or those close to them. Another 52% think that increasing tariffs overall would do more harm than good. Only 32% agree that when the U.S. charges tariffs on imported goods, American workers come out ahead.
Public opinions on executive orders and policy actions vary. A majority oppose certain actions, such as closing the Department of Education (60%) and firing tens of thousands of federal employees (57%). In contrast, majorities support other policies, including increasing deportations of illegal immigrants (59%), downsizing the federal government (56%), reducing U.S. foreign aid (52%) and continuing weapons and financial aid to Ukraine (52%).
This IPSOS poll was conducted March 31- April 2, 2025, on behalf of Reuters using the KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a representative sample of 1,486 U.S. residents, age 18 or older.
A new 29-country IPSOS poll explores attitudes towards the United States, alongside a number of other nations and international institutions. It provides an update on how President Donald Trump's second, non-consecutive term, has impacted America's global reputation.
Belief in the US as a force for good falls. The proportion saying America will have an overall positive influence on world affairs has fallen in 26 out of 29 countries over the last six months. Today, almost two in three (46% on average across the 29 countries) say the US will have a positive influence, down from 59% who said the same in Sept/Oct 2024, prior to the presidential election.
The reputation of the US plummets in Canada. Only six months ago 52% of Canadians saw the US as a positive influencer; now only 19% feel the same. This 33-point fall is the largest recorded for any country. While ratings of the US did also fall among its northern neighbour during the first Trump term, this is the lowest score we have recorded for Canada since we started tracking this question in 2015.
Republicans currently predict their country will have a positive impact, compared to just 45% of Democrats. For Americans overall, 63% now think the US will have a positive impact on the world, which is the lowest figure we have recorded for the country in the last decade.
China is now seen as a more positive influence than the US. It's the first time this has been the case during the ten years we have tracked this question. Across the 29 countries covered, an average of 49% say China will have positive effect on world affairs, up 10 points on six months ago. Israel and Iran remain the countries least likely to be seen as having a positive influence on the international arena. Iran's score has however improved over the last six months, as have those of China, Pakistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
It is worth mentioning here that IPSOS is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing over 18,000 people.
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