The majority of Americans would rather import oil and gas from north of the border than from anywhere else, while many wrongly believe Saudi Arabia and not Canada is their current biggest oil supplier.
With a Liberal government that for years shied away from promoting Canada’s oil and gas industry, a new poll from Abacus Data shows that most Americans don’t know Canada is the U.S.’s number one trading partner for the resource.
Fifty three per cent of Americans, named Saudi Arabia as the U.S.’s number one supplier of crude oil, while 52 per cent chose Canada as their preferred source for oil imports.
The GZERO and Abacus Data survey asked 1,500 eligible American voters from Jan. 23-24 about their thoughts on America and Canada’s bilateral trade relationship.
Only 22 per cent of American respondents correctly chose Canada as its top foreign supplier of crude oil.
The survey asked U.S. voters to identify America’s biggest foreign supplier of oil and gas, as 40 per cent of America’s crude oil came from foreign supply in 2022.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Canada was the source of 52 per cent of U.S. gross total petroleum imports and 60% of gross crude oil imports in 2022.
A U.S. Congressional Research Service report on U.S.-Canada trade relations earlier this month said that in 2023, Canada accounted for 60 per cent of U.S. crude oil imports, amounting to 1.4 billion barrels.
When Americans were asked who they’d prefer to be the number one trading partner for trade imports, 52 per cent said they would prefer Canada, while only 19% said they would choose Saudi Arabia instead.
Just over a quarter of Americans said Trump’s threatened 25-per-cent tariffs were an overall positive, though 44 per cent of Americans who voted for Trump in the 2024 election said they were a good thing.
On the other hand, nearly half of the respondents, 47 per cent, said retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. would be a net negative for America, while 24 per cent said they were a good thing.
The survey asked respondents about other potential retaliatory measures by Canada as well.
When asked about their thoughts on Canada withdrawing its oil sales from the U.S., forcing America to buy from countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, 55 per cent said it would negatively impact their country.
Only 19 per cent said Canada withdrawing its oil would be a good thing for America.
Turning to hypothetical retaliation from Canada, 60 per cent of Americans said a Canadian tax on oil exports would be bad for the U.S. while 19 per cent said bring it on.
Despite the recent friction between Ottawa and Washington, 86 per cent of Americans still view Canada as an ally.
While the majority said they would prefer trading with Canada, 65 per cent, said they think the U.S. produces enough oil domestically and need not rely on trade with Canada. There was a higher proportion of Trump voters who said America could be energy independent, with three quarters saying they don’t need to import oil and gas.
When asked to describe the relationship between the U.S. and Canada, 54 per cent of Americans said that Canada was either “best friends” with the States or at least “close friends.”
The study also found a large majority of Americans – 84 per cent – believe both countries are better off having a free trade deal.
Despite the general sentiment, 56 per cent of Americans said Canada disproportionately benefits from the free trade agreement.
The opt-in survey sample of panellists was statistically weighted to represent the most recent census data for the U.S. For comparison purposes, a probability-based random sample of the same size represents a margin of error of no greater than 2.6 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
