The Hoover Institution polled 1,645 members of the American public using YouGov on February 19-24, 2025 about their attitudes, predictions, and knowledge of tariff policy.
While there are clear partisan differences in attitudes toward tariffs, the most striking result is that support for tariffs changes based on who the respondent believes is paying for the tariff.
When asked, “When goods cross the US border, who is responsible for paying the tariff?” respondents had four choices:
- The foreign company that makes the product
- The foreign government of the country the import comes from
- The retailer or company that imports and sells the product in the United States
- The consumer who buys the product
Respondents who believe foreign companies or countries are responsible for paying the tariffs are much more likely to support tariffs than those who believe domestic sources pay the tariffs.
Click here to see the full topline results.
Click here to see the full crosstabs.
Key Takeaways
- 34 percent of the American public support tariffs on foreign-produced goods, 43 percent do not (22 percent said “not sure”).
- Among those who believe foreign companies or countries are responsible for paying the tariffs, 51 percent support raising tariffs.
- Among those who believe domestic sources are responsible for paying tariffs, 22 percent support raising tariffs.
- 27 percent support increasing tariffs on Canada, 36 percent support increasing tariffs on Mexico, and 50 percent support increasing tariffs on China.
- 53 percent say that the 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada are too high, 22 percent say they are the right amount, 2 percent say they are too low.
- 51 percent say that tariffs should be used to protect American jobs, but support falls to 33 percent if those tariffs raise prices.
- 64 percent believe that adding new tariffs raises the price of consumer goods.
