Polls show millennials disagree with both candidates on free trade

Despite Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s negative views on free trade, polls have consistently shown that millennials support it.

A May 2016 YouGov poll finds 48 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds believe free trade is a good thing, while only 12 percent say free trade is bad. A recent poll by Third Way finds that 70 percent of millennials support free trade over regulation to limit trade.

Pew Research from March also found millennials support free trade more than older generations. Sixty-seven percent of those 18-29 said free trade benefits the country, while 53 percent of of those 30-49 and just 40 percent of voters 50 and older said the United States benefits from free trade policies.

Millennial support for free trade stems from their experience living in a global economy, which is much different than the experiences of older generations.

Millennials are on track to becoming the most educated generation yet, leading them to pursue careers in science, technology, and other industries that benefit from free trade. Far fewer millennials hold manufacturing jobs than previous generations. Manufacturing jobs made up a quarter of American jobs in 1970 but comprised only 8 percent of the job market in 2014. Competition from cheap imports is responsible for much of the decline in American manufacturing.