24% Have Favorable Opinion of Protesters
Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
April 29-30, 2006
Immigrant Rights Protesters
Favorable 24%
Unfavorable 52%
RasmussenReports.com
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Full Amnesty
Favor 12%
Oppose 67%
RasmussenReports.com
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Earned Citizenship
Favor 53%
Oppose 31%
RasmussenReports.com
May 1, 2006--Heading into a day of planned protests and boycotts for immigrant rights, just 24% of American voters have a favorable opinion of the people who have recently marched and protested for immigrant rights in major cities. A Rasmussen Reports national opinion survey of 1,000 Likely Voters conducted on the eve of the May 1 events found that 52% have an unfavorable opinion of the marchers (see earlier results).
Fourteen percent (14%) of voters believe that those who want to restrict illegal immigration are racist. Sixty-seven percent (67%) disagree.
Rasmussen Reports will ask the same survey questions on May 1 and 2 to measure any changes resulting from the protests. Crosstabs are available for Premium Members.
One organizer of today's protests said that the goal was to obtain "full amnesty, full legalization for anybody who is here (illegally). Just 12% of American voters support that goal, 73% are opposed.
At the same time, 56% believe that our national policy goal should be to welcome all immigrants except national security threats, criminals, and those who would live off the U.S. welfare system. Just 26% oppose this goal.
As we have found in earlier surveys, Republicans are a bit more likely than other voters to support an enforcement first policy. Republicans are also a bit more likely than others to support a policy that welcomes all immigrants except those who are a threat.
The survey also found that 67% of Americans believe that the U.S. should enforce existing laws and gain control of the border before new reforms are considered. Seventy percent (70%) favor strict penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.
Recently, proposals have been made that would allow "earned citizenship" for those who are in the United States illegally. To test support for this concept, Rasmussen Reports asked about a proposal that "would let illegal aliens eventually become citizens if they pay a fine for entering the country illegally, pay all back taxes, and learn to speak English."
Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters support this proposal while 31% are opposed. However, support increases a bit when respondents are told to assume that the federal government was actively enforcing existing laws and had gained control of the border--56% favor, 29% oppose.
While the overall change is not significant, most of the increased support comes from voters who are not affiliated with either the Republican party or the Democrats.
Fifty percent (50%) of American voters believe that illegal immigrants reduce wages for working class Americans. Twenty-eight percent (38%) disagree.
Other survey data found that American voters were more likely to favor a Congressional candidate who emphasizes enforcement of existing laws rather than one who prefers expanding legal job opportunities for foreign workers. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters now trust Democrats more than Republicans on the issue of immigration. Thirty-five percent (35%) have more trust in the GOP. That's a slight improvement for Republicans from the last time we asked this question. Among those who consider the issue very important, Republicans retain an edge on this question.
A look at all of our research on this topic makes it clear that neither political party has yet developed policy or rhetoric that reflect an understanding of the nuances of the immigration debate. We have recently released immigration related polling data on April 26, April 11, April 7, and April 1.
Earlier surveys on immigration have found support for building a barrier along the Mexican border and positive attitudes towards citizen patrols along the border. Another survey found that most Americans consider current immigration laws a threat to both national security and the economy. Three-fourths of all Americans believe it is too easy for people from other countries to enter the United States.
Attitudes towards immigration do not fall neatly along typical partisan, demographic, or ideological lines. For this reason, among others, the immigration issue ultimately has the potential to shake up the current partisan alignment in the nation.
However, the impact of the issue varies widely by region. In several southwestern states, the issue is considered more important than the situation in Iraq by roughly half of all voters.
--Rasmussen Reports
SOURCE
Sorprendente.
