Record high Americans see foreign trade as economic opportunity: poll

A record high of 72 percent of Americans see foreign trade as an economic opportunity rather than a threat, a new Gallup poll has found.

This is a sharp increase from 58 percent in last year's Gallup poll, despite the election of Donald Trump who is viewed as an anti-trade president.

Only 23 percent of Americans believe that foreign trade is a threat, according to the Feb 1-5 poll which was recently released.

It also found that 71 percent of Americans say promoting favorable trade policies is a "very important" foreign policy goal, up from 66 percent in 2013, the last time the question was asked.

Despite the often-negative characterization of U.S. trade deals throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, all U.S. political party groups show an increase from last year in perceiving trade as an economic opportunity.

Among Democrats, this view has increased 17 percentage points to 80 percent, while among Republicans it has risen 16 points to 66 percent, Gallup found.

Americans' view that trade is an opportunity for economic growth has fluctuated since 2000, with the low point at 41 percent in 2008, during the 2007-2009 recession, according to Gallup. Endit