Articles

Key points on public opinion and immigration

Public Agenda Alert
May 24, 2007

Much of the congressional agenda over the next few weeks is likely to be dominated by the proposed immigration reform bill, backed by President Bush and lawmakers from both parties. While the plan has bipartisan support in Congress, groups on both sides of the debate are already lobbying for changes. Indeed, the Senate voted today to cut the number of "guest workers" allowed under the bill by half.

As the debate starts, we'd like to point out a few key factors to keep in mind about public attitudes on this topic.

Mixed views

It may seem contradictory, but surveys suggest the public holds positive and negative views about legal immigration at the same time.

For example, six in 10 say immigration is generally a good thing for the nation. Nearly as many (57 percent) say immigrants appreciate American freedoms more than the native-born. Half say immigrants work harder than the native-born, too.

Yet surveys show the public divided on whether immigration helps or hurts the economy. Half say there are too many immigrants in the country. Four in 10 Americans say immigrants improve food, music and the arts in the U.S., but pluralities say they negatively affect the economy, taxes and crime.

Illegal vs. legal immigrants

The public is much more sympathetic to those who "play by the rules." Half the public says indefinite detention of legal immigrants in terrorism cases "goes too far," but six in 10 also say illegal immigrants don't deserve such rights. Half also say illegal immigrants should be deported without hearings.

Yet surveys show the majority of Americans would be willing to let illegal immigrants remain in the U.S. if they have lived in the U.S. for at least five years (74 percent), pay a fine (57 percent) and learn English (an overwhelming 89 percent).

As many as eight in 10 say they support a guest worker program in some surveys, but these results can change dramatically based on how the question is phrased. That's always a warning sign that public attitudes may not be as stable as they might seem.

Security a major concern

Nearly half the public says controlling immigration would do "a great deal" to improve national security. And the public believes this is possible, with about half saying the government can do "a great deal" to limit illegal immigration. But this is also one of the areas where the government gets the worst grades from the public, with 51 percent giving the U.S. a "D" or "F" on this issue.

Because public attitudes are so complex and conflicted on this issue, it's important to resist the temptation to take any one survey finding as conclusive. There are two powerful threads to this debate. One is how many immigrants the United States can and should accept, and the other is what is needed to secure the borders against terrorists and criminals. The debate swings back and forth depending on which thread is emphasized -- and so do survey results.

Find out more in our issue guide on Immigration:
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/f
rontdoor.cfm?issue_type=immigration

Find out more in our Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index:
http://www.publicagenda.org/foreignpolicy/index.cfm

Read today's Associated Press story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070524/
ap_on_go_co/congress_immigration

Read the CNN story:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/2
3/immigration/index.html

Copyright 2007 Public Agenda. More information: www.publicagenda.org.

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