Six in Ten US Voters Oppose Tariffs on Solar Panels: Survey

The tariffs came in effect on 22 January on the request from two solar panel producers with operations in United States. The concern was that solar panels are being imported from other countries in such a high volumes that the companies are not able to compete. The imports mostly came from Asia.

The new tariffs on solar panels imposed by Trump administration are opposed by nearly six in ten voters including a majority in very red districts voters, a survey by Program for Public Consultation (PPC) has found.

The tariffs came in effect on 22 January on the request from two solar panel producers with operations in United States. The concern was that solar panels are being imported from other countries in such a high volumes that the companies are not able to compete. The imports mostly came from Asia.

Tariffs will reduce with subsequent years. The tariffs are 30% in first year, and will decline to 25% in year two and 20% in year three and 15% in year four respectively. However, a bill, with bipartisan sponsorship, in Congress has been dropped to reverse these new tariffs.

“While Americans do respond to the arguments that American jobs are being lost to low price imports and that the US should push for better trade deals, the counter arguments—that tariffs could hurt the solar industry overall, and that there is a risk of starting a trade war—do better. While protectionist arguments hold some sway, in the end, the majority comes down against the new tariffs,” said PPC director Steven Kull.

Respondents were asked for the final recommendation and 58% were opposed to imposing of tariffs including 51% of independents and 76% of Democrats. However the percentage of Republicans that favored the tariff stood at 58%.

The support for tariffs among Republicans was directly proportional to the attitudes about Trump. 63% of the Trump voters among Republicans favored the tariffs, while among those who did not, only 27% did with 71% opposed.

“Historically, there have been minor differences between Republicans and Democrats on trade issues.  It appears that Donald Trump’s challenge to the prevailing trade order is related to growing polarization between Republicans and Democrats in the public”, Kull said

He further added “Ironically, this growing polarization is in a direction that is the opposite of the historical polarization between Republicans and Democrats in Congress.”

The sample taken for the survey was 1,999 registered voters and was conducted online from March 9 to March 23 of this year. The marginal error for this survey stands at +/-2.2%.

Source: Cision