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Support for immigration falls among Americans – survey

22 February 20230 comments

The proportion of Americans who want fewer migrants has risen since President Biden took office in 2021, according to a new poll.

Just 28 per cent of Americans say they’re satisfied with immigration levels in the US — the lowest in a decade. Nearly two thirds of the dissatisfied want less immigration, a survey by Gallop found.

Satisfaction with immigration levels in the US hit a high of 41 per cent in 2017 and a low of 23 per cent in 2008 over the past 23 years Gallup has been measuring.

The survey found that while the proportion of people identifying as Independents and Democrats wanting less immigration has risen in recent years, that viewpoint among Independents and Democrats generally has trended down since the years following 9/11.

But more than half of Democrats still are satisfied with immigration levels or want them increased.

Gallop says the rise in Americans’ concern about immigration levels is likely tied to the record numbers of crossings at the US-Mexico border the past two years.

Since President Biden came to office, he has struggled to manage unprecedented levels of migration throughout the Western Hemisphere.

But the administration finally has good news with illegal border crossings plummeting in January after the rollout of new carrot-and-stick border policies.

“Amid news of the migrant surge along the border with Mexico and the humanitarian and political problems arising from it, Americans across the political spectrum have grown less content with the level of U.S. immigration in recent years,” the Gallop report said.

“Still, the issue remains highly partisan, with the vast majority of Republicans concerned that there is too much immigration, compared with a modest proportion of independents and a relatively small proportion of Democrats.”

Apart from the partisan trends, immigration has also become more of a concern for older Americans, with more wanting it curbed, while young adults’ views are largely unchanged.

“Overall, a majority of Democrats, 52 per cent, remain satisfied with the level of immigration (40 per cent) or want it increased (12 per cent). This contrasts with a combined 39 per cent of independents and 14 per cent of Republicans who are similarly supportive,” the report said.

“Along with the changes by party, dissatisfaction with immigration stemming from a desire to see it decreased has surged among older Americans, those 55 and older, rising from 21 per cent in 2021 to 55 per cent today.

“Over the same period, it has also increased a sizable amount among middle-aged adults, aged 35 to 54, rising from 23 per cent to 40 per cent, while showing little change among younger adults,” the Gallop report said.

See the full results here: Americans Showing Increased Concern About Immigration (gallup.com)