he good news for US manufacturers: Americans believe "Made in the USA" stands for quality and value. The bad news: Consumers - especially young adults entering their prime buying years and richer households who have money - aren�t inclined to look for products made at home. These are among the findings from the American Demographics Perception Study, a new consumer survey on topics from Chinese goods to Wal-Mart�s image.

The online survey of 1,133 adults, fielded in late May by Aegis Group�s Synovate, shows consumers tend to respect the quality and value of US-made goods, and they rank the quality of domestic auto brands in a tie for second (with Japan, close behind German brands). In a rating of which consumer-electronics brands are most innovative, three US computer names - Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Apple - scored in the top five.... more