A new survey shows the majority of shoppers have a strong preference for buying American-made products. Availability, price and labels of origin often influence their purchasing behavior.
The annual "Made in the U.S.A." poll showed more than 80% of Americans said they would purchase more American-made products if they saw more of them in major retailers like Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said people also overwhelmingly want to see country of origin labels for online goods so they can make more informed choices.
"There's been a lot in the news about tariffs and costs and concerns about that," Paul acknowledged. "But it's striking to find that Americans still strongly value products that are made in the United States."
Paul noted the Alliance's annual holiday gift guide makes it easier for consumers to buy local gifts. It features American-made gift options from every state across various price points and categories, including goods from more than 20 Wisconsin companies.
Paul pointed out for a product to be labeled “Made in America,” all or virtually all components must come from the U.S. He cautioned terms like "designed in," "based in," or "researched in" the United States do not indicate American manufacturing, adding there are legal penalties for mislabeling products.
"It's one of those issues, blissfully, that hasn't been impacted by partisan politics, as we've seen in this country so often," Paul observed. "There’s still lots of different reasons for people, to want to support jobs, the economy, small businesses, quality products."
Paul stressed that value has remained consistent, despite U.S. consumer sentiment recently dropping to a near-record low. He added people are motivated by the positive ripple effects of buying American-made products.
