Americans Who Say Immigration Is a ‘Good Thing’ Falls to Lowest Level in a Decade

The percentage of Americans who think immigration is a “good thing” is the lowest it has been since 2014, according to a Gallup poll published Wednesday that shows 68% of respondents support immigration in 2023. READ: U.S. Warns Against Crossing Mexico Border Illegally as Title 42 Ends The survey results represent a 2-point decrease since last year and a 9-point decrease since 2020 when the share of Americans who view immigration positively reached an all-time high of 77%. The percentage of respondents who think immigration is a “bad thing” has likewise increased over the last three years, with 27% currently having a negative view. Opinions on immigration largely fell along partisan lines: Half of Republicans, 67% of independents and 87% of Democrats said immigration was a good thing. And while 73% of Republicans want to decrease immigration – tying the prior high set in 1995 – just 18% of Democrats feel the same way. Immigration Cartoons View All 265 Images The partisan gap on immigration views has grown significantly since Gallup first began polling the topic in 1993. Republicans, independents and Democrats all preferred decreasing immigration until 2012, when Democrats began to favor an increase. Partisanship was also evident in the survey’s results to questions about the effect of immigrants on the country. Across several characteristics – from culture to moral values to economy – Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say that immigrants make the country worse. More and more Americans are also calling for a decrease in immigration. Since hitting a record low of 28% in 2020, the percentage of respondents who think immigration should be reduced is up to 41%. MORE: DeSantis: Use Deadly Force at Border Gallup conducted its survey throughout June, just weeks after Title 42 restrictions on immigration were lifted on May 11. President Donald Trump enacted the public health policy in 2020 to restrict entry to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19. It expired when the pandemic was no longer a public health emergency. The report noted that illegal immigration has fallen since the restrictions ended and – because Gallup surveyed respondents about immigration generally – that asking about legal versus illegal immigration could have yielded different survey results. Overall, a majority of Americans (54%) agreed that immigrants make food, music and the arts better, and an almost equal 55% thought they make the country’s drug problem worse. Gallup interviewed 1,013 American adults for the survey across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.