(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opinion of Americans on global commerce have not shifted dramatically over the past two years, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates for the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 44 per cent of respondents think free trade agreements have been a good thing for the United States.

In 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) brought Mexico into the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the U.S. that had been in place since 1989. A proposal to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)—encompassing 34 countries in North, Central and South America—has been debated for the past decade.

In May 2004, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua agreed to the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the U.S. The Dominican Republic followed suit in August. Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have also held talks to achieve a free trade deal with the U.S.

On Dec. 19, U.S. trade representative Susan Schwab announced a commerce agreement with Panama, declaring, "The historic agreement between two good friends and close partners will promote economic growth and development in both of our countries."

The deals with Panama, Colombia and Peru will be addressed by the U.S. Congress next year.

Polling Data

In general, do you think that free trade agreements like NAFTA, and the World Trade Organization, have been a good thing or a bad thing for the United States?

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