By Sara Murray
March 21, 2013
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/03/21/immigration-poll-most-favor-path-to-citizenship/
A majority of Americans believe the estimated 11 million of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to become citizens, a new survey shows.
Some 63% of nearly 4,500 surveyed supported a path to citizenship “provided they meet certain requirements,” the poll by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution showed. The survey, released Thursday, adds public support to bipartisan immigration plans being hashed out in both the House and Senate that are expected to include a path to citizenship.
Support for citizenship spanned the political spectrum, though the idea was far more popular among Democrats. Some 71% of Democrats in the poll supported the citizenship option as well as 64% of independents. More than half of Republicans surveyed, 53%, supported a path to citizenship.
Among national GOP leaders the issue is still a contentious one. Some conservatives in the House and Senate, as well as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have publicly called for giving undocumented immigrants legal status without allowing them to gain citizenship.
The survey showed just 14% of Americans believe undocumented immigrants in the U.S. should be given a legal status but shouldn’t be allowed to apply for citizenship. Another 21% said they should be deported.
More than half of Americans in the poll said they believe immigrants from other countries strengthen U.S. society, but they had more conflicting views about how they impact economic opportunities for native citizens.
Almost two-thirds, 64%, of Americans said immigrants who come to the U.S. mostly take jobs that those in the U.S. don’t want. But 56% also said that undocumented immigrants drive down wages for Americans and hurt the economy.
No comments:
Post a Comment