Views on Foreign Direct Investment

National Poll of Likely American Voters

March 2016

Poll Methodology
Foreign Direct Investment

3
5 11

Foreign Direct Investment by Country and Industry

12 14

Foreign Direct Investment in Agriculture

15 22

Focus on China Inc.

23 27

Poll Methodology

Total sample of 1,003 likely voters across the U.S.

Fielded via telephone March 5-10, 2016
50% of the interviews conducted via landline phone and 50% via cell phone
Sample proportioned demographically and geographically to accurately reflect all likely
voters in the country
Conducted by FTI Consulting, Inc.
Margin of error associated with a sample of this type: +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence
interval

Foreign Direct Investment

Views on a Foreign Company Buying a U.S. Company or a Global Company with
Significant Business in the U.S.

What kind of impact, if any, do you think

increasing exports of U.S. products has on the
U.S. economy?

What kind of impact, if any, do you think reducing

U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources has
on the U.S. economy?

7%
17%

79%
91%
Positive

Negative

Positive

Negative

What kind of impact, if any, do you think foreign

companies buying U.S. companies or global
companies with significant business
in the U.S. has on the U.S. economy?

What kind of impact, if any, do you think foreign

governments restricting exports of U.S. goods or
services has on the U.S. economy?

14%
27%

67%
80%
Positive

Negative

Positive

Negative

How comfortable, if at all, are you with a foreign

company buying a U.S. company or a global
company with significant business in the U.S.?

How comfortable, if at all, are you with a foreign

company making a minority investment in a U.S.
company or a global company with significant
business in the U.S. meaning they have a say,
but don't have full control of the company?

32%
36%

62%
66%

Comfortable

Uncomfortable

Comfortable

Uncomfortable

How comfortable, if at all, are you with a foreign stateowned enterprise meaning a foreign government owns
or controls a company buying a U.S. company or a global company with significant business in the U.S.?

18%

80%

Comfortable

Uncomfortable

For each one of the following, please indicate how much, if at all, of a concern it is to you when a foreign
company buys or invests in a U.S. company or a global company with significant business in the U.S.?

Ensuring America's national security

71%

21%

7%

Ensuring America's telecom and data are secure

70%

23%

6%

Ensuring America's food safety and security

67%

21%

11%

Ensuring that U.S. intellectual property is secure

59%

29%

9%

Ensuring America's energy is safe and secure

59%

29%

11%

Very Concerning

Somewhat Concerning

Not Concerning

Column1

10

In the review of trade policy and foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies or global companies with significant
business in the U.S., should the U.S. government take into account the military actions of foreign
governments when reviewing transactions involving companies based in those specific countries?

11%

86%

Yes

No

11

Foreign Direct Investment by

Industry and Country
Views on a Foreign Company Buying a U.S. Company or a Global Company with
Significant Business in the U.S. by Industry and Country

How comfortable, if at all, you are with a foreign company buying or investing in a U.S. company or a global
company with significant business in the U.S. in the following industries?

Manufacturing
Technology

50%

48%

59%

39%

Agriculture

37%

61%

Energy

36%

63%

Financial Services

34%

Telecommunications

33%
Comfortable

65%
65%
Uncomfortable

Column1

13

How comfortable, if at all, you are with a company from the following countries buying or investing in a U.S.
company or a global company with significant business in the U.S.?

UK
France

Middle East
Russia

24%

75%

Germany
China

17%

83%

26%

73%
75%

25%

77%

22%

79%

20%
Comfortable

Uncomfortable

Column1

14

Foreign Direct Investment in Agriculture

Views on the Impact of a Foreign Company Buying a U.S. Company or a Global
Company with Significant Business in the U.S. on American Food Safety and Security

Generally speaking, how much, if at all, do you think about the safety of the food you buy for your family?

6%
24%

15%

37%

All of the Time

Sometimes

Not Much

Not at All

16

Should food safety and security be considered a national security issue?

13%

86%

Yes

No

17

How comfortable, if at all, are you with a foreign company from the following countries buying or investing in
a U.S. agricultural company or a global company with a significant agricultural business in the U.S.?

UK

21%

78%

France

27%

72%

Germany

29%

70%

Russia

25%

Middle East

24%

75%

China

23%

77%

75%

Comfortable

Uncomfortable

Column1

18

Do you think the U.S. government should allow a Chinese company to buy or invest in a U.S. agricultural
company or a global company that supplies a significant percentage of the U.S. food supply in a given year?

25%

73%

Yes

No

19

Do you think the U.S. government should scrutinize these transactions more carefully to ensure U.S. food
safety as part of the regulatory review process?

6%

93%

Yes

No

20

Is the potential of a company controlled by the Chinese government having control of a significant amount of
the corn, soybeans, and wheat grown and consumed in the U.S. concerning or not concerning to you?

23%

77%

Concerning

Not Concerning

21

Would you buy food if you knew it contained corn, soybeans, or wheat produced from seeds supplied by a
company controlled by the Chinese government?

42%

55%

Yes

No

22

Focus on China Inc.

Views on Chinese Government Control of Key Industries and U.S. Policy Implications

Given Chinese government control over its key industries, is it concerning or not concerning to you that China
has increased its purchases of U.S. assets?

8%

91%

Yes

No

24

Given Chinese government control over its key industries, is it fair to U.S. companies that these Chinese
companies operate under a different set of rules?

25%

72%

Yes

No

25

Regulators in other countries and regions the EU and Australia, for example are already looking at how the
Chinese government controls and coordinates its key industries and stateowned enterprises when reviewing
any takeover attempts by Chinese stateowned companies when deciding if an attempted takeover violates
their country's antitrust laws. Do you think U.S. regulators should also be adopting a similar approach to
protect the competitiveness of U.S. businesses?

4%

94%

Yes

No
26

China severely restricts access to its markets for U.S. companies and controls and coordinates its own
stateowned companies. Do you think U.S. policy makers and regulators should be doing something to ensure
U.S. companies are not placed in a competitive disadvantage by this?

5%

94%

Yes

No
27

Media & Government Relations

(202) 347-4267
press@americansecurityproject.org
1100 New York Ave, Suite 710W
Washington, DC 20005