More Americans think Ronald Reagan favored low tariffs than that he favored high tariffs, but many are unsure.
In the wake of a recent television ad featuring video of Reagan criticizing tariffs, YouGov asked Americans whether Reagan and 12 other current and past American political figures are or were supporters of high tariffs or low tariffs.
Most Americans identify Trump as a supporter of high tariffs, and half or more say recent Democratic politicians Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Bill Clinton support low tariffs. Other figures, from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln to Reagan and George W. Bush, have large shares of Americans unsure about their preferred tariff policy.
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to both support increased tariffs and to think that major American political figures have supported higher tariffs.
Reagan
Almost twice as many Americans say Reagan supported low tariffs (38%) than that he supported high tariffs (21%). Democrats are more likely to identify Reagan as a supporter of low tariffs (51% say "low tariffs" and 20% say "high tariffs"), as are Independents (38% vs. 13%). But among Republicans, more say Reagan supported high tariffs than say he wanted low tariffs (33% vs. 28%).
Among the 14% of Americans who support increased tariffs, 46% say Reagan supported high tariffs and 23% say he supported low tariffs. Among the 49% who support decreased tariffs, 14% say Reagan liked high tariffs while 50% say he preferred low tariffs.
Americans' tariff preferences
More Americans say tariffs on foreign goods imported into the U.S. should be decreased (49%) than that they should be increased (14%) or kept the same (23%). Democrats overwhelmingly support lower tariffs (76% say they should be decreased), as do a majority of Independents (52%). But only 17% of Republicans support decreased tariffs, while 28% of Republicans want increased tariffs and 38% say they should be kept the same.
Americans from higher-earning families are more likely to support increased tariffs. This is particularly pronounced among Independents and Republicans. Most Democrats of all income levels prefer decreased tariffs, but among Republicans, those whose families earn $100,000 or more prefer high tariffs (31% increase tariffs vs. 10% decreased tariffs), while those whose families earn less than $50,000 are evenly split (20% vs. 22%).
Methodology: The poll was conducted among 1,138 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of U.S. adult citizens. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. region, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty
What do you think about the election, American politics in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
