Who do tariffs help? What Americans say in poll as Trump unveils new levies

A greater share of Americans would like to see President Donald Trump’s tariffs scaled back than expanded, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll.

And most Americans believe his tariffs will drive up prices and put a heavier burden on U.S. consumers.

The survey comes after Trump signed an executive order on July 31 imposing sweeping new levies — between 10% and 41% — on imports from about 70 countries. These are set to go into effect on Aug. 7, providing a short window for negotiations.

Trump, who previously issued a 10% baseline tariff on all imports in April, in addition to sector-specific levies, has said the unprecedented measures are necessary to counter unfair trade practices.

“Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,” the president said in a post on Truth Social. “They were successfully used against the USA for decades. … Now the tide has completely turned, and America has successfully countered this onslaught of Tariffs used against it.”

Many economists, meanwhile, are wary of widespread tariffs, arguing they will boost inflation, raise prices and result in job losses.

The poll also comes after the Labor Department’s latest jobs report, released on Aug. 1, found weaker-than-expected employment growth in July. As a result, Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, claiming the report was “rigged.”

Here is a breakdown of the results from the poll.

What Americans think of Trump tariffs

A much larger share of Americans want U.S. tariff rates to be decreased rather than increased, according to the poll, which sampled 1,777 U.S. adults July 25-28.

A plurality, 41%, said rates should be lowered, while 18% said they should be raised. An additional 23% said they should be kept the same.

The poll — which has a margin of error of about 3.5 percentage points — also asked respondents, “who is is most helped and hurt by tariff increases?”

A majority, 54%, said American consumers are hurt the most, while far fewer said foreign manufacturers (22%), foreign consumers (4%) and U.S. manufacturers (3%).

Meanwhile, a plurality, 28%, said American manufacturers are helped the most by tariff increases. Smaller shares said U.S. consumers (11%), foreign manufacturers (6%) and foreign consumers (1%).

Additionally, the vast majority of respondents, 71%, said they believe Trump’s tariffs will lead to higher prices, with 43% saying prices will increase “a lot” and 28% saying they will rise “a little.” Just 9% said they expect tariffs will lead to lower prices.

Most Democrats and Republicans — 87% and 55%, respectively — agreed that levies will result in higher prices.