1,314 Americans who were either born in the US or came before 1980 were interviewed for the poll. The poll was conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Associates and was done between May 2, 1997 and May 26, 1997.

According to the poll, 45% think immigration is good for the country. 42% think immigration hurts the country. 10% say the results are mixed. This is in sharp contrast to a poll in Newsweek magazine in 1993 which found that nearly 60% of Americans thought negatively of the affects of immigration.

African-Americans and lesser educated respondents were the most likely to say that immigration hurts the country. The young, the affluent and the Hispanic communities believe the most strongly that immigration helps the country. But even amongst African-Americans, only two of five believe that the fear that immigrants take jobs from Americans is warranted. Further, most African-Americans had no problem with intermarriage.

More than two thirds of respondents stated that they are not bothered by differences in religiion, eating habits, skin color, or clothing. The same number also stated that they are not bothered by intermarriage involving people of different races or ethnic backgrounds.

Interestingly, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to believe that immigrants are good for the country. But they are also more likely than Democrats to worry about the impact of the changing ethnic makeup the country is seeing as a result of mass immigration.