(12/30/10) -

American Views on Immigration Temper Slightly Since the Summer

Two-in-five Americans would deport all illegal immigrants currently working in the U.S., while three-in-ten endorse the “path to citizenship.”

While more than half of Americans continue to have negative views on immigration, the attitudes of respondents have softened since the heated public debates of summer regarding the Arizona immigration law, a new survey conducted by Vision Critical has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,005 Americans, 57 per cent of respondents believe that immigration is having a negative effect in the U.S. This represents a ten-point drop since the question was last asked by Vision Critical/Angus Reid Public Opinion in July. However, all of the movement has been toward not sure (from 16% to 25%), driven mainly by Democrats and Independents. Four-in-five Republicans (80%) say immigration has a negative impact in this country.

Legal and Illegal Immigration

Two-in-five Americans (39%) think the number of legal immigrants who are allowed to relocate in the U.S. should decrease, while only 15 per cent favor an increase.

More than half of respondents (56%) believe the illegal immigrants in the United States take jobs away from American workers, while one third (34%) think these illegal immigrants are employed in jobs that American workers do not want. Large majorities of Republicans (74%) and Independents (60%) believe illegal immigrants take jobs away from American workers, but only 42 per cent of Democrats concur.

When asked about the status of illegal immigrants who are currently working in the United States, a tempering of opinion is also observed. Three-in-ten respondents (31%, +4 since July) believe that these illegal immigrants should be allowed to eventually apply for citizenship—the highest level of support for this policy throughout 2010. Two-in-five Americans (43%, -7) believe illegal immigrants should be required to leave their jobs and be deported.

While Democrats (48%) remain more likely than Republicans (13%) and Independents (31%) to support a “path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants who are working in the U.S., no party can count on majority support to implement this policy in the current political environment.

In a finding that has remained consistent since the summer, many Americans continue to express support for the implementation of the four primary policy provisions of the Arizona law in their own state. However, there is a marked decrease in the proportion of respondents who endorse arresting people who are unable to provide documentation to prove they are in the U.S. legally (from 69% in July to 62% this month).

Analysis

Immigration remains a passionate emotional and policy issue in the melting pot that is America, and most Americans in all walks of life hold some negative feelings about it. While opinion remains divided along party lines, the idea of a “path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants has no majority support. Still, other provisions of immigration policy reform could be in play in 2011, along with a now larger swing voter group waiting to hear all sides of the debate.

Our previous surveys on immigration can be found here: April 2010 / May 2010 / July 2010

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

Methodology: From December 16 to December 17, 2010, Vision Critical conducted an online survey among 1,005 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States.