2014 Midterm Elections
Key Polls:
Americans Care About Immigration
- Gallup, July 7-10, 2014, poll of U.S. adults
- A plurality of respondents said the most important problem facing the country is immigration. 17% identified immigration, edging out 16% identifying dissatisfaction with the government, and 15% identifying the economy.
- Rasmussen Reports, July 29-30, 2014, poll of U.S. likely voters
- Respondents rated immigration a bigger national security threat than Russia and renewed fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. 37% selected immigration, compared to 31% for Russia and 23% for the Israel-Palestine conflict.
- Associated Press-GfK, July 24-28, 2014, poll of U.S. adults
- 62% think that immigration is an extremely or very important issue; 23% think it is moderately important; 14% think that it is slightly or not at all important.
- 67% think that illegal immigration is an extremely or very serious issue; 22% think it is somewhat serious; 10% think that it is slightly or not at all serious.
Americans Support True Immigration Reform
- Rasmussen Reports, August 28-29, 2014, poll of U.S. likely voters
- 62% oppose the president granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens without the approval of Congress; 26% support presidential amnesty action; 12% are undecided.
- If the president does grant amnesty to several million illegal aliens, 55% think Congress should challenge that action in court; 30% disagree; 14% are undecided.
- the polling company, inc./WomanTrend, August 7-10, 2014, poll of U.S. likely voters
- 57% think immigration is among their top three items of greatest concern.
- 77% think jobs should go to current U.S.-born workers or legal immigrants already in the country instead of bringing in new immigrants to fill those jobs.
- 88% of conservatives, 78% of moderates, 78% of independents, 71% of democrats and 62% of liberals think current American workers should get jobs preference.
- 80% think businesses should recruit the currently unemployed instead of expanding the labor supply with new workers from other countries.
- 86% of blacks, 73% of whites, and 71% of Hispanics think companies should raise wages and improve working conditions instead of increasing immigration.
- 76% think aliens who overstayed their visas should be encouraged to return home.
- Three in four respondents oppose the President taking any kind of unilateral executive action to grant amnesty.
- Three in four respondents want substantial reductions in immigration rates.
- CBS News, July 29-August 4, 2014 poll of adults
- 65% support legislation making it easier and faster to deport unaccompanied alien minors; only 28% oppose.
- 76% think stricter border control would be effective in reducing the number of alien minors crossing the border; 12% think it would be not be very effective; 8% think it would not at all be effective.
- 62% think illegal immigration is a very serious problem; 22% think it is somewhat of a serious problem; only 14% think is not very or at all a serious problem. Among Hispanics, 56% think it is very serious, 26% think it is somewhat serious, while only 17% think it is not very or at all a problem.
- Reuters/Ipsos, July 15-22, 2014, poll of U.S. adults
- 45% think that legal immigration should be decreased; 38% think it should be kept at its current level; 17% think it should be increased.
- 70% think that illegal aliens threaten traditional American beliefs and customs; 30% think that illegal aliens strengthen American society.
- 63% think that immigrants place a burden on the U.S. economy; 37% think that immigrants strengthen the U.S. economy.
- 75% think that illegal aliens place a burden on the U.S. economy; 25% think illegal aliens strengthen the U.S. economy.
- Pulse Opinion Research, February 11-12, 2014, poll of U.S. likely voters
- 73% say there are plenty of Americans to do jobs; 10% think there are labor shortages; 17% are not sure.
- 68% believe employers should raise the pay to attract an unemployed American worker; 14% think employers should bring in a new immigrant worker; 19% are not sure.
- 74% think businesses should be required to recruit unemployed Americans; 13% think businesses should be allowed to bring in new immigrant workers; 12% are not sure.
- 38% are not at all sympathetic to giving work permits or legal status to adult foreign citizens who overstayed visas; 32% are not very sympathetic; 21% are somewhat sympathetic; 6% are very sympathetic; 3% are not sure.
- 49% are not at all sympathetic to giving work permits or legal status to adult foreign citizens who crossed the border illegally; 22% are not very sympathetic; 19% are somewhat sympathetic; 6% are very sympathetic; 4% are not sure.
- 56% think children born to illegal aliens, tourists, and other foreign visitors should be given automatic citizenship; 28% disagree; 15% are not sure.
- 41% strongly support proposals to encourage illegal aliens to go home on their own by keeping them from getting jobs and public benefits here; 22% somewhat support those proposals; 14% somewhat oppose them; 14% strongly oppose them; 9% are not sure.
Amnesty Is Not Key to Winning Support from Hispanic Voters
- Pew Research Center, September 11-October 9, 2014 poll of Latinos
- Immigration is not a deciding issue for a majority of Latino voters. 54% said they would vote – and another 6% said they might vote – for a candidate whose position on immigration they disagreed with, compared to 36% who would not.
- When asked about the issues in this year’s congressional campaign, more say education (92%), jobs and the economy (91%) and health care (86%) are extremely important or very important to them than immigration (73%).
- CBS News, July 29-August 4, 2014 poll of adults
- 54% of Hispanics support legislation making it easier and faster to deport unaccompanied alien minors while 40% oppose.
- Economist/YouGov, July 19-21, 2014, poll of U.S. adults
- 64% of Hispanics want the minors deported; 22% of Hispanics believe the United States should grant the unaccompanied alien minors amnesty.