The people of California have a more positive view of the impact of immigrants on the United States than Americans as a whole; however, most still believe that their presence makes their own financial lives harder, according to the results of a new poll conducted by Survey Monkey for USC Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times.
While just 49% of all voters in the United States believe that immigrants strengthen American society, this belief is expressed by 59% of those in California; meanwhile, 43% of overall voters feel the opposite in comparison to 35% of voters in California. 41% of Californian voters believe immigrants make their financial lives more difficult, as opposed to 39% who feel they make no difference and just 10% who say they make things easier.
“It’s not surprising that Californians are much more positive about the benefits of immigration than voters nationally, but even our state’s residents recognize that immigration can present economic challenges as well,” says the director of the Jesse M Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, Dan Schnur. “It’s a testament to California voters that they understand that the long-term positive contributions that immigrants can provide are worth the short-term financial challenges that may arise.”
Partisan affiliation also impacts the opinions of Californians on immigration, with 53% of Republicans believing it weakens American society and 75% of Democrats believing the exact opposite.
