58% of Americans want the number of immigrants in the United States to increase or remain stable, and seven out of ten think that the arrival of foreigners is advantageous, but the issue is divided between Democrats and Republicans, according to a survey.
A Gallup Institute poll conducted between July 5 and 26 revealed that the majority of the population sees immigration as a good thing, but it depends on the age and educational level of the person consulted and the party with which they identify. .
It reaches 83% among adults aged 18 to 34, 76% among those aged 35 to 54, and only 57% among those aged 55 and over. They are 80% among college graduates compared to 65% among those who did not finish college and 64% among those without a college education, Lydia Saad noted in a Gallup blog about this survey, which does not distinguish between immigration lawful or irregular.
Democrats (86%) are nearly twice as likely as Republicans (46%) to see immigration as good for the country. Independents (75%) are closer to the Democrats’ point of view on this issue.
Although most Americans see immigration as an advantage, “the border crisis of the last few years has sparked a very partisan debate about how to handle the huge demand for entry” from Latin America, “and that is probably affecting the opinion of Americans,” Saad explained.
The United States remains very fractured on immigration policy: 27% of Americans say that the arrival of foreigners should be increased, 31% prefer that it remain at the current level and 38% want it to be reduced (they are more than in the last two years but much less than the 65% of 1993 and 1995).
By political parties, the division is obvious: the vast majority of Republicans want it to be reduced, half of the Democrats, to increase it, and the independents are somewhere in between.
Republicans’ desire for less immigration has increased 21 points since June 2020 (when they were 48%). This contrasts with a five point rise among independents, to 33%, and a four point rise among Democrats, to 17%.
In addition, the July survey revealed that 15% of Republicans compared to 3% of independents and less than 1% of Democrats identify irregular immigration as the main problem in the country.
