The issue of immigration reform is looming large in the 2016 presidential election. An ever-increasing number of candidates on both sides of the political fence are including their own particular stance as a crucial part of their platform; however, Americans have their own strong opinions on the subject.
A new poll from a Gallup study – part of their Minority Rights and Relations survey ‒ published yesterday shows that just 25% of Americans want to see an increase in immigration, although this is more than double the figure of 12% recorded back in 2002. 40% want to see immigration levels remain as they are, while 34% want to see a reduction.
The survey was conducted from June 15th to July 10th and included more Hispanics and blacks than has previously been the case in such studies, with the aim of taking a “closer look at attitudes and opinions of minority groups whose representation in the sample of a standard poll might otherwise be too small for statistical analysis”. The 2,296 people who responded to the survey were all aged over 18 years and were interviewed by telephone.
Over half the Hispanics interviewed were themselves immigrants and more likely to support increased immigration (36%), while just 21% of non-Hispanic white American citizens agree with this idea. African-Americans tended to fall somewhere between the two camps at 30%.
All three groups are more in favor of increased immigration than back in 2002.