[leadin]Most Americans would rather save a few bucks than support domestic manufacturing.[/leadin]
That’s a fact, according to a new poll released by the Associated Press.
But while a solid majority would choose the bargain over the domestic premium product, the poll is far from unanimous.
The Associated Press-GfK poll found nearly 75 percent of Americans would prefer to buy made-in-USA products. Far less will actually pay the premium price domestic manufacturing demands.
The poll asked a real-world example: Choose between $50 pants made in another country or an $85 pair made in the United States (of the same fabric and design).
Thirty percent said they would pay the extra money to buy the American pants.
30 Percent Full, Or Empty?
What does this mean for American manufacturing? While it is easy to see these numbers as a sign that Americans want cheaper goods overall, the fact remains that 30 percent of U.S. consumers will pay the premium to support domestic manufacturing.
The poll also found that 9 percent of Americans will only buy made-in-USA goods.
The AP-GfK Poll of 1,076 adults was conducted online March 31 – April 4, 2016, using a sample designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points, the organization cites.
