Gallup poll: Immigration issue roils voters

Politico
By MJ LEE | 1/17/12 5:57 PM EST

Immigration is the third-highest concern among 17 issues Gallup asked about.

The majority of Americans say they are dissatisfied with the level of immigration into the country, and more than four out of 10 of those concerned about the issue say they want to see fewer foreigners entering the U.S., according to a Gallup Poll out Tuesday.

The percentage of people unhappy with the level of immigration, 64 percent, was slightly lower than the level dissatisfaction measured in Jan. 2008, when 72 percent said they were unhappy about the issue.

Nevertheless, the new poll found that only 28 percent of Americans currently feel satisfied about the level of immigration into the U.S.

Of those who expressed dissatisfaction with the level of immigration, 42 percent said they wished immigration could be decreased — down from 50 percent who said the same four years ago. Just 6 percent of those concerned about the issue said they wanted the level of immigration to be increased, unchanged from 2008.

The Gallup Poll suggested that Republicans tend to be more concerned about immigration levels than Democrats and independents — just 19 percent of GOP-ers said they were satisfied with the issue, compared with 33 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents who indicated the same.

The majority of Republicans — 54 percent — said they wanted to see immigration into the country decrease, compared with 37 percent of Democrats and independents who expressed the same wish.

Similarly, conservatives were found to be more supportive of decreasing the level of immigration than liberals, with 55 percent of conservatives saying they wanted to see less immigration to the U.S., compared with just 27 percent of liberals who suggested the same.

According to Gallup, immigration is the third-highest-ranking concern among 17 issues that the polling company asked about.

The Gallup Poll was conducted Jan. 5-8 among 1,011 adults ages 18 and older and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.


Source: Gallup poll: Immigration issue roils voters - MJ Lee - POLITICO.com