The great majority of Americans are unhappy with the level of immigration in the United States, whether legal or illegal, according to the results of a new Gallup poll released yesterday. 60% of those who responded to the poll are not happy with present immigration levels, with just 33% approving.
Dissatisfaction has increased from this time last year, with a rise of six percentage points, and the satisfaction level has fallen by five points. The current level is still lower than the all-time record for dissatisfaction, however, which was recorded in January 2008 at 72%. 7% of those who are dissatisfied want an increase in immigration, with 39% wanting to see less. Among Republicans, Obama’s executive action has seen dissatisfaction grow from 54% last year to 65%, with 44% of Democrats unhappy.
“The president’s disputed actions may have had some effect on how Americans perceive immigration levels, providing Republicans additional fodder with which to challenge the president,” says Andrew Dugan of Gallup. “The number of Americans saying they are dissatisfied with current immigration levels increased by six points and seems mostly driven by self-identified Republicans, although dissatisfaction among Democrats is also up slightly.” The poll was taken by telephone – both landline and cell phone – between January 5th and 8th, with 804 adults chosen at random. Another recent poll, which was conducted by Paragon Insights, indicated that the president’s decision to take executive action on US immigration was opposed by 58% of Americans.