New Poll: Americans Want Post-Brexit UK-US Trade Deal

BOSTON, Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent poll by Emerson College, a majority of Americans (63%) support a bi-lateral trade deal with the UK upon its departure from the European Union in March 2019 (11% opposed and 26% were undecided). Most Americans (58%) believe the United States' relationship with the United Kingdom is even more important today than it was five years ago, and 56% see the British as the most valuable strategic foreign partner. Nearly 2 in 3 Americans say the relationship between the US and the UK is very important.

"The alliance appears to be increasingly important in the eyes of the American public," said Dr. Nell Breyer, Executive Director of the Association of Marshall Scholars that commissioned the poll. "In a period of deep uncertainty for the British public, they should know that Americans see the ties that bind us as increasingly significant, and there is strong Americans support for developing new opportunities to further this relationship."

Surprisingly, the poll results indicated that a plurality of Americans do not know whether the UK or Europe will be a more important military ally once the UK leaves the European Union next year. Despite being a top trade partner with the US, Britain trailed other nations in American perceptions of its attractiveness for business and foreign trade, with 48% of Americans rating China as the #1 most important partner for the US, and 20% rating Canada at #2.

Nearly all respondents (91%) rated the 'Special Relationship' somewhat to very important.

"It appears that, at least from the American perspective, a very special relationship still exists between the UK and the US. That is demonstrated in the unusually high consensus around the issue," said Emerson College Pollster and Assistant Professor, Spencer Kimball. "Research suggests that a collective memory pervades society and events from the past leave traces of recollections that the current society recall in a variety of forms."

However, Americans are less unified in their support of current US foreign policy towards the UK. Only 52% of those surveyed are satisfied with the current foreign policy, while 24% are not satisfied (nearly 2:1) with it. Nearly 3:1 Americans think that the US is currently furthering strong ties with the UK (60% to 18%).

For more information: full results and cross-tabulation data is available at:
www.emerson.edu/communication-studies/emerson-college-polling-society 

Methodology
All respondents interviewed in this study were part of a fully representative sample of N= 530 (sample size). Data was weighted by US parameters. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 4.2%. The survey was administered using both landline, cellphones and online via Survey Sampling International (SSI) and IVR and was conducted between November 12-16, 2018.

About Emerson College Polling
Emerson College Polling is part of the School of Communication at Emerson College. Emerson College Polling has been ranked as one of the most accurate collegiate pollster by Bloomberg News and Nate Silvers' 538. Emerson College Polling is a Charter Member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Transparency Initiative.

About the Association of Marshall Scholars
The Association of Marshall Scholars fosters personal and professional relationships among Marshall Scholars, supports and publicizes the aims of the Marshall Scholarship Program, and enhances the experience of Marshall Scholars Studying in the United Kingdom, thereby strengthening the enduring relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Contact:
Shannon Felton Spence
[email protected]

SOURCE The Association of Marshall Scholars