New Immigration Research
New Poll: People of Faith Support Immigration Reform (March 2010)
Approve of Clergy Speaking Out
"A new survey of U.S. citizens who are registered to vote by Public Religion Research Institute finds broad support across religious groups for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform and strong approval for clergy speaking out on the issue. As immigration reform efforts resume around the country, the survey provides timely data about American voters' attitudes on the issue and the influence of religion and values. "
"By a 2-to-1 margin, American voters strongly support a comprehensive approach to immigration reform, and they want a solution that reflects strongly held values," said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. "More than 8-in-10 Americans--including overwhelming majorities of white mainline Protestants, Catholics, and white evangelicals--believe strongly that immigration reform should be guided by the values of protecting the dignity of every person and keeping families together as well as by such values as promoting national security and ensuring fairness to taxpayers."
The survey identified a significant partisan values gap that informs different approaches to immigration. There is general agreement among Democratic, Independent, and Republican voters on values such as promoting national security, securing the border, and ensuring fairness to taxpayers. On the other hand, Democratic voters rated cultural-religious values-such as protecting the dignity of every person, keeping families together, the Golden Rule, and the biblical value of welcoming the stranger-higher than Republican voters by double digits.
A December 2009 survey [1] from Benenson Strategy Group shows strong support for comprehensive immigration reform across the political spectrum, including among Republican voters. The results are consistent with a similar poll conducted in May 2009. This is a clear case where the conventional wisdom about the politics of immigration is dead wrong. Read on for a snapshot of where Republican voters are on the issue, by the numbers.
WHILE IMMIGRATION IS NOT THE TOP ISSUE FOR REPUBLICAN VOTERS, THEY BELIEVE IT IS SERIOUS AND IMPORTANT
"When asked to choose the two or three most pressing issues that Congress should focus on, 63% of Republican voters cited the economy and 54% cited health care. Only 6% cited immigration as one of the top two or three issues, but this was still higher than abortion, energy, or crime.
* When asked whether illegal immigration is a serious problem, 93% of Republicans said yes and only 7% said no. Seventy-one percent said “solving the issue of illegal immigration” should be a high priority for Congress, while 29% said it should be a medium or low priority."
Nationwide Poll: Majority Support for Immigration Reform Holds Strong Amidst Weak Economy
"Despite conventional wisdom in Washington that the economic downturn and high unemployment makes now a bad time for Congress to debate comprehensive immigration reform, a series of polls conducted in November 2008, May 2009, and December 2009 show that the American people want Congress to tackle the issue in 2010, and are strongly in favor of a comprehensive proposal that puts undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship if they register, pay taxes, and meet other criteria."
Focus Groups: Swing Voters Support Common-Sense, Comprehensive Solutions on Immigration
"Focus groups conducted by Lake Research Partners [1] show a public that is ready for comprehensive immigration reform. Though immigration is a lower priority than the economy, voters strongly agree that the system is broken and needs to be fixed. Voters are in a problem solving frame of mind, and they strongly support immigration reforms that would require illegal immigrants to register, pay taxes, learn English, pass a criminal background check, and apply for citizenship with no advantage over those currently applying legally. "
• The best word to describe the general mood of the country and of focus group participants is “anxious.” The economic climate is really taking a toll on people, and nobody feels completely secure. Participants express fears about job loss, mortgage payments, and general expenses like gas and groceries. They are angry at Wall Street, and the seemingly endless string of bailouts has touched a nerve.
• Though the immigration issue does interact with the economy, focus group participants do not blame the economic crisis on legal or illegal immigration. When asked where they direct their anger, participants are most likely to name corporations, Wall Street CEOs, and a general lack of accountability.
• The economy and all the other urgent problems currently facing the country have put voters into a more solution oriented frame of mind, continuing their receptiveness to comprehensive immigration reform. Unlike earlier this decade, cultural anxiety and the need to “punish lawbreakers” is not the dominant mood on the immigration issue. Instead, voters are much more interested in common sense solutions that fix a system which they see overwhelmingly as broken. There is no appetite for mass deportation nor for enforcement-only policies among swing voters."
