Public Is Split Over Trade Pact, Poll Finds

Two weeks after President Clinton began a public push for the three-way trade agreement among the United States, Mexico and Canada, the public is deeply split on the issue, according to a Times Mirror poll released Thursday.

Among those paying closest attention to the debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement, both support and opposition fell slightly, while indecision over the agreement mounted.

Of those paying fairly close or very close attention to the trade pact, 42% said they favored it, 37% said they opposed it, and 21% were undecided. A survey earlier in September found 46% favored the agreement, 42% opposed it, and 12% were undecided.

Support was notably stronger in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the four states along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Along the border, 48% said they supported the agreement, compared with 40% in the rest of the nation; 27% expressed opposition to it, compared with 40% elsewhere and 26% said they were undecided, compared with 21% in the rest of the nation.

The national survey found that while Clinton’s overall job-approval rating was 49%--up from 43% two weeks ago--the public was paying little attention to two major Administration programs. Only 13% said they were paying close attention to his proposal to redesign government, while only 5% said they had closely watched news about his national service program.

Thus, the poll suggests that Clinton and his aides have their work cut out for them in rallying support for some of their major initiatives, particularly the trade agreement.

Of those opposed to the trade pact, which would eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers, 89% said they believe that it will mean a loss of jobs in the United States.

Proponents gave a variety of reasons for supporting the proposal, a development that analysts said bodes poorly for Clinton’s prospects of gaining congressional approval. Supporters, the theory suggests, have been unable to rivet attention to one argument that would counter fears about job losses.

The poll of 1,529 adults was conducted Sept. 24-27 by the Times Mirror Center for The People & The Press, a subsidiary of the Times Mirror Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times and other media properties. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.

As the survey was being made public, the House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade took the first step in the multi-tiered congressional consideration of the agreement, recommending only minor technical changes in the legislation required to implement it.

Also, Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) announced--as proponents of the agreement had expected--that he will support the pact when the House votes on it later this year.