Thread: Poll Results: Orange County More Negative on Immigration

http://www.ocregister.com/news/immig...my-survey.html

Poll: O.C. more negative on immigration
BY CINDY CARCAMO
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

As the economy has soured so has the attitude of people in Orange County toward immigration, according to new survey results comparing data from Orange County respondents from a decade ago.

The survey, by Irvine-based Brandman University, found that people feel more negatively about immigration compared to 2000 when the economy was strong.

When asked if immigrants are a benefit because of their hard work and job skills or a burden because they use public services, 58 percent of survey respondents in 2000 said they were a benefit while 31 percent said they were a burden, according to the 2010 State of Orange County Survey released Tuesday.

In the 2010 survey, 40 percent said they were a benefit while 50 percent said they were a burden. The rest said they didn't know.

The telephone survey of 675 respondents in Orange County was taken last month. There is a 3.85 margin of error, according to the report.

"There is a major shift in attitudes toward immigrants,'' said the survey's author, Fred Smoller. "In 2000 the economy was great. People didn't worry about all the immigrants building suburbia, building our homes but today the economy is terrible and illegal immigrants are the obvious target.

"This is clearly to what is referred to as the push-pull thesis – when the economy is good we pull people in to pick fruit and do a lot of the menial job, when the economy is bad we push them out,'' he said.

Smoller, director of the university's Masters in Public Administration Program, said they didn't differentiate between legal immigrants and those who are in the country illegally when they asked the question and instead asked about "immigration" in general.

He said the question asked a month ago was phrased exactly as it was by UCI's 2000 Orange County Annual Survey and that changing the question would not allow to him to do a fair comparison.

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Anti-illegal immigration activists contend that those in the country illegally are a burden to a society. Some are calling for restrictions on legal immigration, saying that recent arrivals fill jobs that could go to low-skilled U.S. citizens, especially minorities. They say the economic downturn sheds light on the issue.

However, immigrant rights advocates contend that immigrants help fuel the economy, saying that fear-mongering and misinformation have contributed to negative perceptions of immigrants.

"It is also critical that we approach this topic in a truthful way, not scapegoating immigrants for the many complex problems facing our nation and our economy that cannot possibly be solely their doing," said Wendy Tarr, the Orange County coordinator for Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice.

The study also finds that there is slightly less optimism about the improvement of race and ethnic relations compared to a decade ago, Smoller said.

In 2000, 61 percent of respondents felt race and ethnic relations would improve. In 2010, 58 percent feel the same way.

"Today the County is "majority minority," and the proportion of whites has continued to decline," Smoller stated.

Read a story on the overall survey, which shows residents believe the economy is the county’s biggest problem.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7924 or ccarcamo@ocregister.com

"It is also critical that we approach this topic in a truthful way, not scapegoating immigrants for the many complex problems facing our nation and our economy that cannot possibly be solely their doing," said Wendy Tarr, the Orange County coordinator for Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice.

YES, let's be truthful, they are- ILLEGAL ALIENS for starters.... and why is CA in such dire financial straits if they are so good for the economy???

Code:

Anti-illegal immigration activists contend that those in the country illegally are a burden to a society. Some are calling for restrictions on legal immigration, saying that recent arrivals fill jobs that could go to low-skilled U.S. citizens, especially minorities. They say the economic downturn sheds light on the issue.

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!