(The Center Square) – Likely North Carolina voters say tariffs raise prices on everyday consumers and free market principles are a better choice.
Responding simply yes, no or unsure, 62.4% said they “believe tariffs on imported goods raise prices for everyday consumers,” according to a poll taken Monday and Tuesday and released Thursday by Carolina Journal in conjunction with Harper Polling. Respondents said no 23.4% of the time, and 14.1% were unsure.
Asked about better approaches for the U.S. global trade policy, 45.6% said “encouraging free-market competition and lower trade barriers” to 36.6% choosing “using tariffs and subsidies to protect U.S. industries.” The respondents were unsure 17.9% of the time.
Second-term Republican President Donald Trump used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to underpin his Liberation Day tariffs. On April 2, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners. He later suspended those higher tariffs, used the threat of higher taxes to get foreign nations to agree to new trade deals and then hit nearly 66 nations plus the European Union with the highest tariffs in nearly a century.
The moves have touched industries for steel and aluminum; automobiles and trucks; copper; semiconductors; pharmaceuticals; timber, lumber and derivatives; agriculture; and critical minerals and derivatives.
In another business economy question, pollsters asked, “Since Donald Trump has taken office in January 2025, do you believe the U.S. has added manufacturing jobs?” Respondents said no 44.3% of the time, yes 40.2%, and 15.4% were unsure.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in manufacturing had gains in February and March, was stagnant in April, and has posted three consecutive months of month-over-month decreases.
The 600 likely voters’ responses were given a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of +/= 3.98%.
