Every year, the Gallup poll asks a sample of people in the United States whether they believe foreign trade provides" an opportunity for economic growth through increased U.S. exports," or whether they believe foreign trade represents "a threat to the economy from foreign imports." The table shows the responses for two years:
|
View of Foreign Trade |
| Year |
Favorable to Foreign Trade |
Unfavorable |
State of the U.S. Economy |
| 2008 |
41% |
1 |
Deep economic recession |
| 2013 |
57% |
35% |
Economic expansion |
a. Do you believe that foreign trade helps the economy or hurts it? (Be sure to define what you mean by "helps" or "hurts.")
b. Why might the general public's opinion of foreign trade be substantially different during an economic recession as opposed to during an economic expansion?
c. The poll also showed that while 55 percent of people ged 18 to 29 had a favorable opinion of foreign trade, only 41 percent of people age 65 and over did. Why might younger people have a more favorable view of foreign trade than older people?