Borderline Interest or Identity? American and Canadian Opinion on the North American Free Trade Agreement

North American publics and regional trade liberalization have been little studied. Although the North American free trade arrangement is relatively recent, political debate and grass-roots protest over trade in Canada and the United States are increasingly visible, and a fuller understanding of how citizens in these countries judge trade policy is needed. An analysis of the influences of national identity, economic self-interest, and supranational attitudes on Canadian and American opinion toward NAFTA, using comparative data from the 1995-96 International Social Survey Program, indicates how symbolic predispositions of national identity provide significant and accessible information shortcuts for citizens on trade.