The protection of national jobs should be a priority subject of American foreign policy under Joe Biden, 75% of Americans defend, underlines a survey of the Pew Research Center published Wednesday (24).
The theme was the most talked about, along with the fight against terrorism and contagious diseases: both are a priority for 71% of Americans. Then comes the control of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear bombs, with 64%.
The Pew survey interviewed 2,596 U.S. residents, between February 1 and 7, and also includes a party cut. Respondents who identified as Republicans are more concerned about job protection (85% cited it) and terrorism (81%). Maintaining the US military advantage in the world was the third most cited item (68%).
Democratic supporters, for their part, see the fight against contagious diseases (80%) and climate change (70%) as the main international problems. Employment protection comes in third place (67%).
Limiting the power of other countries, considered threats to the United States, appears further down the list. For 48% of the total, containing China’s influence should be a priority. Acting against Russia (42%), Iran (38%) and North Korea (40%) mobilize relatively similar portions of the country.
Despite the great concern for employment, giving priority to the fight against illegal immigration enjoys support of 38% in the global sum, even if it is a priority for 64% of Republicans. Former President Donald Trump accused immigrants of stealing jobs from Americans.
Under Trump, unemployment in the United States hit 3.5% before the pandemic, the lowest figure in 50 years. However, soon after, it rose to 14.7%, the highest figure since the Great Depression of the 1930s. In January 2021, the index was 6.3%, representing 10.1 million people in looking for work in the country.
The survey also shows that 50% of Americans believe that the United States should pay less attention to the exterior to focus on domestic issues, and 49% believe the opposite: that the country will have a better future. it helps to solve world problems.
The majority of Republicans (67%) defend domestic focus, unlike Democrats: 65% of them are in favor of foreign action.
On another question, 54% of those polled said they felt that many of the problems in the United States could be solved with international help. This opinion is more common among Hispanics (63% agree) and lower among non-college graduates (52%) and Republicans (33%).
Most Americans believe the United States has an interest in being part of international institutions, such as NATO (71% see an advantage in the military alliance led by Washington), the UN (67%) and the WHO (65%).
The previous administration of Donald Trump launched several attacks on global entities and took steps to stop the sending of resources to them. Biden, meanwhile, is working on a reconciliation: he brought the United States back to the WHO shortly after taking office.
Between 2018 and 2021, however, support for strengthening the UN increased from 39% to 30%. During the same period, concern over China rose from 32% to 48%.
The survey also showed that 60% say they trust Biden to handle foreign policy well. During tenure, Trump fluctuated between 45% and 48% approval on this point. Former President Barack Obama started his term in 2009 with 74% support for his foreign policy and left the White House in 2016 with 58% approval, according to Pew.
Biden sought to reverse the policy of Trump, who bet on the motto “America First” and argued that taking tough measures, such as increasing the deportation of immigrants, imposing tariffs trade to China and the withdrawal of the United States from international agreements and entities, would bring prosperity. for the country.
In the first few weeks of his tenure, Biden suspended some actions against immigrants and brought the United States back to the Paris climate agreement. The Democrat is also seeking to resume dialogue with Iran, in an attempt to convince the country to contain its nuclear program. Already with China, he has maintained a stronger stance and criticized the Chinese government for its human rights violations.
What issues should be a priority for US foreign policy?
Protecting the jobs of American workers – 75% see it as a priority Protecting the United States from terrorist attacks – 71% Reducing the spread of contagious diseases – 71% Preventing weapons of mass destruction – 64% Improving relations with allies – 55% US military advantage – 48% Limiting China’s power and influence – 48% Dealing with climate change – 44% Making other countries pay more to maintain international order – 42% Limiting power and influence of Russia – 42% Reduce trade deficit with other countries – 40% Limit that of North Korea power and influence – 40% Reduce illegal immigration – 38% Limit the power and influence of North Korea Iran – 38% Defend human rights abroad – 34% Strengthen the UN – 30% Reduce the American military presence abroad – 29% Reduce legal immigration – 22% Promote democracy in the ‘foreigner – 20%
Source: Pew Research Center survey of 2,596 US residents, heard between February 1 and February 7.