POLL SHOWS AMERICAN SENTIMENT ON IMMIGRATION CONTINUES TO MODERATE A recent Gallup poll showed that Americans today have a vastly different opinion of immigration today than was held during the mid-1990s. According to the poll 41% of Americans think immigration should continue at its present level, and 13% feel it should be increased. In contrast, only 38% feel it should be decreased. At the height of the anti-immigration feeling in the 1990s, two-thirds of Americans thought immigration should be decreased.
Other responses confirmed the indication that immigrants are looked upon more favorably than in recent years, with a vast majority of respondents saying that immigrants take jobs Americans are not willing to perform. A plurality of respondents felt that immigrants paid their share of taxes.
The poll indicated that while feelings on immigration were generally similar among many different demographic groups, there was one group that held a different opinion that the rest. Among those with a high school education or less, 46% favor decreasing current levels of immigration, the highest response at any educational level. Only 33% said immigration should be kept at current levels. Among respondents holding advanced degrees, only 24% favored decreasing immigration. Fifty-one percent of respondents with advanced degrees felt immigration should be kept at current levels.
There was no significant difference in responses between those who are employed and those who are unemployed, a surprising result given the commonly held perception that immigrants take jobs from Americans. The difference between political viewpoints was also not as great as could have been expected. While 33% of those who identified themselves as liberals supported decreasing immigration, only 41% of conservatives did.
The poll showed respondents equally divided on whether immigration brings overall positive or negative effects. This is a fundamental shift from the mid-1990s when most Americans polled felt that immigration hurt both American workers and the economy. In this recent poll, 44% of respondents felt that immigrants helped the economy by providing low cost labor, but 40% felt that they hurt American workers by driving down wages. Again, education was a significant dividing line in responses to this answer. Sixty-seven percent of respondents with advanced degrees felt immigrants helped the economy, 47% of those with a college degree agreed, while only 40% of those with a high school degree or less agreed. < Back | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. | 
