U.S. consumers are now significantly less interested in buying American-made goods than they were three years ago, according to a new survey.
In a report released last week, the Conference Board — a business research nonprofit — said the share of consumers expressing a preference for products “made in the USA” went down from 60 percent in May 2022 to 50 percent this June.
The survey asked 3,000 people whether being told that a product they had previously bought and enjoyed was manufactured in various countries would make them more likely to buy it again.
Although the U.S. still scored highest on that question, both it and every other country had lost ground, suggesting today’s consumers are less compelled by country of origin in general.
It comes as President Donald Trump attempts to pressure consumers into buying American via new tariffs on foreign goods, while pressing other countries to import more from the U.S.
According to the report’s author Denise Dahlhoff, the Trump administration’s efforts seem to be having the opposite effect.
“Country-of-origin cues still matter — but their influence is slipping,” she said. “As price concerns intensify, many U.S. consumers appear to associate ‘made in’ labels with elevated prices due to generally higher domestic production costs as well as tariffs on foreign-made goods.
“Increasingly, consumers prioritize value and affordability over emotional affinity for certain countries, including their own.”
In other words, consumers are feeling more hard up and worried about price, perhaps leading them to associate “made in” labels with more expensive products.
The U.S.’s score dropped by 18 percent, but that was far from the largest since 2022. Ukraine suffered the biggest decline at 51 percent, with India (49 percent) and Russia (40 percent) close behind.
There was also a marked difference in support for U.S.-made items between Republicans and Democrats — 66 percent versus 42 percent — and between poorer and middle income people (42 percent versus 66 percent).
