Americans Talk About Illegal Immigration – Poll Results (2003)

• NPG
• March 1, 2003
• Polls
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Final Report Prepared by RoperASW
March 2003

Introduction and Method Overview

This survey was undertaken on behalf of Negative Population Growth to explore several issues surrounding American attitudes toward illegal immigration and to gauge support for various measures to reduce it.

Sample

This report presents the findings of a nationally representative survey of 1,012 American adults (18+) who live in the continental United States. All sample was drawn randomly from an RDD (random digit dialing) list.

Interviewing dates, method and timing

All interviews were conducted by telephone from March 7-9, 2003. Each interview lasted approximately 7 minutes.

Sampling error

All samples are subject to some degree of sampling “error”—that is, statistical results obtained from a sample can be expected to differ somewhat from results that would be obtained if every member of the target population were interviewed. In this report, the maximum margin of error at a 95% confidence level is within +/- 2 percentage points for base sizes of 1,012. Subsample margins of error will be higher.

Weighting

Completed interviews were weighted by age, sex, income, and region to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the target population.

Percentages not totaling 100%

For tabulation purposes, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%.

In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total significantly more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent. Similarly, when only selected responses are shown, percentages may total less than 100%.

Asterisks (*) are used when percentages fall below 0.5%. A dash (-) indicates 0%.

About RoperASW

RoperASW, an NOP World Company, is the merger of two of the world’s leading marketing research and consulting firms, Roper Starch Worldwide and Audits & Surveys Worldwide. For over 75 years, RoperASW has conducted public opinion polls and remains one of most respected names in the business.

I. General Attitudes Toward Immigration

Attitudes Toward Number of Legal Immigrants

Currently, immigration is the driving force behind population growth in the U.S. If present trends continue, the nation’s population is expected to be about 400 million people by the year 2050, up from 293 million now.

Most immigrants live in this country legally and have a visa, citizenship papers, or have gone through other official channels. The U.S. accepts about one million new legal immigrants a year.

Asked what they think is a “desirable” number of legal immigrants per year, most Americans (76%) would prefer immigration be kept below current levels (i.e., they say they would like to see less than one million per year admitted).

In fact, a majority (58%) would prefer fewer than 300,000 enter per year.

Opinions vary somewhat by age, with older Americans taking a harder line against legal immigration; in fact, one in four of those age 65+ (25%) would prefer to see no legal immigrants enter per year, whereas only one in twenty (5%) of those 18-24 have the same view.

Attitudes Toward Illegal Immigration

About 400,000 immigrants come to this country each year illegally, and it is estimated that 8 to 10 million illegal immigrants reside in the U.S. today.

Americans agree (85%) that illegal immigration is a “serious” problem, and over half (55%) say it is “very serious.”

Older Americans are particularly likely to hold this view. For example, persons age 65+ are twice as likely as 18-24 year olds to say illegal immigration is a “very serious” problem.

Setting Goals

As a measure of their concern about illegal immigration, most Americans approve setting as goals:

Completely halting illegal immigration (68%) and

The reduction of the number of illegal immigrants now present in the United States to near zero (67% agree)

Again, older Americans are particularly likely to agree these are worthy goals, with about twice as many 65+ year-olds than 18-24 year-olds “strongly agreeing” that such goals should be implemented.

II. Approval of Methods to Deal With Illegal Immigration

Halting Immigration

Americans support taking tough measures to halt illegal immigration, including:

Mandatory detention and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally (83%; 56% “strongly agree”)

Support remains solid, though declines somewhat, when instead of detention, illegal immigrants would face:

A mandatory prison term and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally (70%; 45% “strongly agree”)

Americans also agree that a “practical way” of halting illegal immigration would be to make penalties for illegal presence here so severe that no illegal immigrants would come here or remain here out of fear of being caught (63% agree, 42% agree “strongly”). Older Americans are especially likely to “strongly agree.”

Reducing the Number of Illegal Immigrants

Americans also support taking the same tough measures to reduce the number of illegal aliens currently in the U.S. to “near zero,” including:

Mandatory detention and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally (78%; 51% “strongly agree”)

Support declines somewhat, though still remains, when instead of detention, illegal immigrants would face:

A mandatory prison term and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally (69%; 46% “strongly agree”)

Americans also agree that a “practical way” of achieving this goal would be to make to make penalties for illegal presence here so severe that illegal immigrants would leave voluntarily rather than run the risk of being caught and made to pay the consequences (64% agree, 44% agree “strongly”). Older Americans are especially likely to “strongly agree” with the soundness of this approach.

And another statement: “To achieve the goal of halting completely the annual entry of an estimated 400,000 new illegal immigrants, Congress should authorize tough measures to do it, up to and including mandatory detention and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? (Q7)

And another statement: “To achieve the goal of halting completely the annual entry of an estimated 400,000 new illegal immigrants, Congress should authorize tough measures to do it, up to and including a mandatory prison term and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? (Q8)

Here’s another statement: “To achieve the goal of reducing the number of illegal immigrants now living permanently in the U.S. to near zero, Congress should authorize tough measures to do it, up to and including mandatory detention and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? (Q4)

And here’s another statement: “To achieve the goal of reducing the number of illegal immigrants now living here permanently to near zero, Congress should authorize tough measures to do it, up to and including a mandatory prison term and forfeiture of property, followed by deportation, for anyone here illegally.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? (Q5)

III. Views Regarding the Role State and Local Governments Should Play In Thwarting Illegal Immigration

Americans also believe state and local governments have a role to play in the effort to reduce illegal immigration. In fact, many believe the Federal government should pass laws to ensure that state and local governments do their part.

Specifically majorities agree that:

• Congress should pass a law requiring state and local government agencies to notify both the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and their local law-enforcement agency when they determine that a person is here illegally, or has presented a false identification document (88% agree; 68% “strongly” agree, particularly older Americans)
• Congress should pass a law requiring state and local governments, and law enforcement agencies, to apprehend and turn over to the INS illegal immigrants with whom they come in contact (85% agree; 62% “strongly” agree, particularly older Americans)

IV. Penalties For False Identification Documents

Americans also support a hard line when it comes to using and producing false IDs, with majorities agreeing that Congress should pass a law calling for a mandatory prison sentence for possessing, printing or selling false identification documents (89% agree; 74% “strongly” agree, particularly older Americans).

Many also agree Congress should pass laws requiring people to go through a verification check of their U.S. citizenship or lawful presence when:

• Applying for a driver’s license (82% agree)
• Opening a bank account (75%)
• Enrolling in a school or college for oneself or a child (73%)
• Seeking medical care at a hospital (49%)

V. Views Toward Employers and Illegal Immigration

Americans agree that one way to impede illegal immigration is to crack down on the people who employ them. Majorities agree the following actions should be taken:

• The Federal government should strictly enforce present laws calling for criminal penalties for employers who, after having been repeatedly fined, continue to knowingly hire illegal immigrants (87% agree; 69% “strongly” agree, particularly older Americans).
• The Federal government should strictly enforce present laws calling for heavy fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants (79% agree; 67% “strongly” agree, particularly older Americans).
• The Federal government should require all employers to verify U.S. citizenship or lawful presence for each job applicant by a telephone or online check to a central data base maintained by the U.S. government (79% agree; 58% “strongly” agree, particularly older Americans).

Appendices: Demography and Survey Instrument