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National Immigration Opinion Survey Results

As the Senate reconsiders immigration reform this week, the Immigration Opinion Survey conducted for the American Friends Service Committee, the year’s largest opinion study on the U.S. public’s views on immigration topics, finds that the public is strongly in favor of immigration reform that includes a path to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants and keeps immigrant families together.

The 2007 Immigration Opinion Survey also shows that the U.S. public believes the immigration system is broken and that building more border fences is not the answer.

The survey, which interviewed 1,200 people nationwide from May 24 to June 16, also found strong support for the following statements about immigration topics (more results listed in the press release):

• "We are a nation of immigrants." (8.4 of 10, with 10 as complete agreement)

• "The nation’s immigration system is broken." (8.03)

• "Keeping families together should be a priority in our immigration policies." (7.74)

• "Immigrants come to the U.S. to work, not to do us harm." (7.56)

• "Building more fences on the border will not stop the flow of immigrants to the U.S." (6.90)

• "Politicians blame illegal immigrants for our social problems to avoid handling real solutions to the nation’s problems with jobs, education, and health care." (6.97)

• "White supremacist groups use the immigration debate as a recruiting tool." (6.87)

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