ABCNEWS.com Poll: Odd Split Marks China Trade Debate

Analysis By Bobbi Jo Fuller, ABCNEWS.com

April 25 Its looking-glass time in the debate over trade with China, where partisan views among average Americans are the reverse of those in Congress.

In Congress, more Democrats oppose free trade with China, while Republicans tend to support it. But among all Americans, its Democrats who support China trade by 50 percent to 36 percent, and Republicans whore more apt to oppose it, 49-40 percent.

Overall

Overall, support for free trade with China is split, with 45 percent of Americans in favor, 41 percent opposed. Thats been fairly stable the past decade.

Congress is to vote the week of May 22 on whether to grant China permanent normal trade relations, a precursor to its membership in the World Trade Organization. China has had normal trade relations with the United States since 1980, but under conditions mandating an annual review of the status.

Many congressional Democrats have close ties to the labor movement in the United States, which opposes the trade pact. But those ties apparently mean less to Democrats as a whole; indeed, only 25 percent of Democrats are from labor households.

Methodology

This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone April 19-23, among a random national sample of 1,015 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was done by ICR- International Communications Research of Media, Pa.