Oregonians Turn to Traditional News for Tariff Insights as Trade Talk Surges Nationwide

Traditional news outlets remain the go-to source of information for most Oregonians.

This came to light in a survey conducted by MarketBeat, a financial media company that interviewed 3,750 respondents nationwide about the latest hot topic – tariffs.

The survey found that 58% of Oregonians relied on traditional news outlets as their primary source of information on trade issues, social media platforms comprise 30%, with YouTube, podcasts, and office discussions making up 6% in the category – where do you go to for trade information?

Most Americans are Now Confident to Discuss Tariffs

Another unexpected outcome of the survey was the high number of people interviewed – 34% nationwide – who said they felt confident discussing tariffs, a topic previously believed to be exclusive to the domain of economic professors and policy boffins.

According to MarketBeat, tariffs are now the topic of conversations in the most unlikely settings – around a backyard barbecue and in a barber’s chair.

Respondents displaying impressive understanding about tariffs were those from Iowa who scored an average of 90%. But then, as MarketBeat says, that’s no surprise considering Iowa is the land of export industries like corn and soybeans.

Oregonians are Above the National Average When Asked to Elaborate on What Tariffs are All About

Oregon was not far behind and scored 76% when asked to elaborate on what tariffs are all about – a score above the national average.

When MarketBeat asked survey participants how comfortable they felt explaining tariffs in a social setting, the response was as diversified as the Trump administration’s approach to the subject – 41% said they would improvise, 34% said they could happily analyze the topics; 19% said they would attempt to side-step the discussion; and 6% jokingly replied that they would leave the party.

In a nutshell, tariffs is a word that has become integral to the American vocabulary, even for those who aren’t sure what it’s all about.

If you would like to test yourself on your tariff knowledge, then click on MarketBeat.com and good luck!