Americans want more American factories work – as long as they don’t have to make them work

President Donald Trump has been completely stopped on the tariff measures he says he will correct trade imbalances with other countries and at the same time bring manufacturing back to the US coast. The second of these goals enjoys widespread support among his fellow Americans. He says overwhelmingly that the US will be better in more manufacturing. But only if they are not people stuck in the factory.

a Viral chart Several social media platforms over the weekend highlight this huge tension when it comes to repurposing factory work. Americans say they want more production in the US, but they don’t believe it’s better to make one of them work.

“If more people work in manufacturing, America will be better.”

80% of Americans agree
•20% disagree

“You’d better work in a factory.”

25% of Americans agree
•73% disagree
•Currently, 2% work in factories

👉🏻 https://t.co/ycnhvz1gt1 pic.twitter.com/4nxb0glk5l

– Frank Luntz (@frankluntz) April 13, 2025

Graphics made by Financial Times Based on a 2024 Survey From the Cato Institute, 80% of Americans believe that the country is better in more manufacturing, while 25% believe that factory work is better individually.

“It’s the result of being held across class, education and racial lines.” Written by Colin GrabaudAssociate Director of Cato’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Research when the survey was published. “The most enthusiastic groups, ages 18-29, have registered only 36% interest on manufacturing employment.”

Grabow continued to note that as of May 2024 there were around600,000 open positionsIn manufacturing (although almost 500,000 people are open today, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve), there is not a lack of precise roles there. Instead, there is a disconnect between how Americans generally think about manufacturing and how they view it themselves. This is one reason why the National Manufacturers Association and the Navy Secretary both called for an increase in immigration, Grabow said.

“That kind of work can’t find Americans who are interested enough to fulfill them,” he wrote.

Manufacturers themselves report “significantly” lower personal satisfaction than other workers. According to the Pew Research Center. They also report less satisfaction with their salary, health insurance and other benefits and flexibility in working hours.

“But perhaps the better question is not why Americans believe that the country needs more manufacturing jobs, but why politicians regularly emphasize the importance of jobs that Americans are supposed to show most of their interest in words and actions,” he wrote.

Decline in American manufacturing

In a CATO survey published last August, Americans expressed favorable opinions on “globalization,” “international trade,” “free trade,” and “trade transactions.” Over 60% of respondents supported “increased trade with other countries,” but only 10% said they opposed it. Two-thirds, 66% of respondents said international trade had almost a positive impact on the US economy.

Tariffs have been at the heart of Trump’s economic and foreign policy agenda at the beginning of his second term as president. Although economists and the public appear to be wary of the impact of tariffs on the US and the global economy, Multiple cracks Running through the financial sector and Markets over the past two weeks– Trump has promised

“Employment and factories will be coming back to our country,” Trump said last week. “And ultimately, increasing production at home means greater competition and lower consumer prices.”

America was once a global leader in automobile and steel manufacturing, but has lost their jobs since at least the 1980s. In the next few decades, the US moved towards a more knowledge-based economy. that’s right It left many Americans As a former industrial hub, in the cold It’s stagnant And wealth inequality has skyrocketed.

The big step in the Trump administration is to help the marginalized middle class by reshaping the world order. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick promised Americans will be “We’re screwing small screws in to make an iPhone,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. Dismissed federal workers “Give me the effort I need for a new manufacturing industry.”

Economists and international trade experts are I’m not sure it will work. One reason for this is that even if factories reopen in the US, they could cost hundreds of millions of dollars a few years, and even processes hindered by Trump’s ever-changing policies, they rely on a much greater degree than other countries that rely on imports from other countries, particularly China. According to Goldman Sachs. You cannot make goods in the US without first importing raw materials from elsewhere.

Trump implemented some tariffs during his first term. the studyIt turns out that people will not revive their jobs in the protected sector.

“The high costs of new tariffs threaten investment, employment, supply chains and the ability to compete in other countries and lead America as an outstanding manufacturing superpower,” said Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers.It was written after Trump announced his plans.

And each American is worried. Approximately 62% of middle-income Americans reported emphasising their finances for the last quarter. Primerica’s latest financial security monitor. This is up from 57% in the fourth quarter of 2024, with 46% expected to deteriorate financially the following year, compared to 27% who reported the same at the end of last year.

This story was originally introduced Fortune.com