Background:
Poll: Most Christians and Jews at Odds with Their Leaders Over Legal Immigration
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-183511.html


New Religion Poll Tries to Debunk Zogby Poll by Limiting Respondent's Choices

By Chris Chmielenski, Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 3:45 PM EDT - posted on NumbersUSA

A new poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and funded by the Ford Foundation attempts to debunk a poll conducted a few months ago by Zogby and the Center for Immigration Studies.

All polls have an agenda, but I invite you to compare the questions. I think you’ll find that the Zogby poll tries to reveal people’s opinions versus the Public Religion Research poll that tries to manufacture people’s opinions.

Last year, Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals offered his organization’s support for a mass amnesty at a Senate Immigration Subcommittee hearing, contradicting the opinions of its church-going members according to the Zogby poll results.

The Zogby poll also showed that the mainline Protestant, Catholic and Jewish religious leaders campaigning for amnesty are also out of step with their adherents.

In December, the Zogby poll revealed that more than 60% of all Christians supported the enforcement of immigration laws, causing illegal aliens to go home over time, versus an amnesty. But the new Public Religion Research poll found that 66% favor amnesty instead.

But all you have to do is look at the polls and see why there’s a discrepancy.

In the Zogby poll, respondents were given these descriptions of two options of dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants already in the country:

Do you support or oppose allowing illegal immigrants to stay here legally and be put on a path to citizenship if they pay a fine, study English, and undergo a background check?

- OR -

Do you support or oppose reducing the illegal immigrant population over time by enforcing existing laws (such as requiring employers to verify the legal status of workers, increasing border enforcement, and more cooperation with local law enforcement)?

When asked to choose between the two, 64% of Catholics, 62% of Mainline Protestants and 76% of Born-Again Protestants favored the option of enforcing laws to cause illegal aliens to go home.

So, why did this new Public Religion Research poll get almost exactly the opposite response? Probably the main reason is that one option offered the legalization wrapped in tough enforcement, while the second option essentially offered the status quo, rather than a solution.

The question asked respondents to choose from one of the following statements:

Any immigration reform plan must reflect our economic interests and our values as a nation. We must secure the border and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. We must also require all illegal immigrants to register with the government and meet certain requirements including working, paying taxes, and learning English before having the opportunity to be responsible, contribute their fair share, and become full members of society.

- OR -

Any immigration reform plan must focus on our national security and the economic well being of the country. Offering citizenship to illegal immigrants who broke our laws amounts to amnesty. We must secure the border and make sure that people here illegally do not take advantage of taxpayer-funded services like education and health care.


Note first that the “crackdown on employers who hire illegal immigrantsâ€