The majority of Americans think Donald Trump should approach Canada as a valuable trading partner and ally, a new Angus Reid Institute poll shows.

The survey of more than 1,500 Americans finds Canada as the top-most country the new administration should engage in a friendly way.

"Americans have felt positively about Canada for a long time. Last February, we conducted a poll on cross-border views and found Americans feeling better about Canada than they did about their own country," Ian Holliday, an Angus Reid research associate, told BNN.ca.

Canada's trade relationship with the U.S. is viewed favourably, with 77 per cent of respondents saying both countries are benefiting roughly equally.

But the survey also finds Americans are lukewarm towards the North American Free Trade Agreement, the trade deal under which both countries operate, and skeptical towards the partnership's other member country, Mexico.

Forty-five per cent of Americans say the new administration should carry on with the current approach to NAFTA. But 24 per cent said the U.S. should decrease its commitment to the deal, while 18 per cent said the U.S. should be "out of it entirely."

More than six-in-10 of Americans who voted for Trump in the election are against the current approach. President-elect Trump has threatened to renegotiate the deal or walk away from it entirely.

As for Mexico, the survey finds 45 per cent of Americans think their southern neighbour benefits more from trade with the U.S. than the U.S. does. Only 17 per cent of respondents think the U.S. should view Mexico as a valued partner, with 25 per cent saying it should be viewed "cautiously.” Trump also threw very aggressive rhetoric towards the country during the presidential race, but Holliday says he isn’t sure it had an effect on the survey’s results.

"Mexico ... has been a real target for Trump right from the start of his campaign, but it’s hard to say whether he’s really moved the needle in terms of Americans’ opinions on Mexico," Holliday said.