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Independent Voters Also Back Comprehensive Immigration Reform

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A December 2009 survey [1] from Benenson Strategy Group shows strong support for comprehensive immigration reform across the political spectrum, including among Independent voters.  The results are consistent with a similar poll conducted in May 2009.  This is a clear case where the conventional wisdom about the politics of immigration is dead wrong. Read on for a snapshot of where Independent voters are on the issue, by the numbers.

WHILE IMMIGRATION IS NOT THE TOP ISSUE FOR INDEPENDENT VOTERS, THEY BELIEVE IT IS SERIOUS AND IMPORTANT

  • When asked to choose the two or three most pressing issues that Congress should focus on, 61% of Independent voters cited the economy and 57% cited health care.  Only 6% cited immigration as one of the top two or three issues, but this was still higher than taxes, energy, and crime.
  • When asked whether illegal immigration is a serious problem, 85% of Independents said yes and only 15% said no.  Fifty-five percent said “solving the issue of illegal immigration” should be a high priority for Congress, while 45% said it should be a medium or low priority.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS SUPPORT COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM AND REJECT AN ENFORCEMENT-ONLY APPROACH

  • When asked whether they support Congress passing “comprehensive immigration reform,” 67% of Independents said yes and 22% said no.   
  • When given details about the elements of comprehensive immigration reform, 72% of Independents said they support requiring illegal immigrants to register with the government and meet certain conditions in order to be eligible for U.S. citizenship.  Sixty-four percent supported provisions to enhance security on the U.S.-Mexico border and 74% approved of a crackdown on employers who hire illegal immigrants. 
  • When given three choices for how to deal with the 12 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, 61% of Independents said “they should be required to register, meet certain conditions, and eventually be allowed to apply for citizenship.” Ten percent of Independents said “they should be legally allowed to stay on a temporary basis but not allowed to become U.S. citizens,” and 27% said “they must leave the country.”

INDEPENDENT VOTERS THINK COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM WILL HELP THE ECONOMY, AND MANY WANT ACTION NOW

  • Ninety-six percent of Independent voters said the state of the U.S. economy is “fair” (27%) or “poor” (69%), and 61% chose the economy as one of the top issues the President and Congress should focus on.
  • When asked their biggest concern about illegal immigration, 51% of Independent voters said illegal immigrants “use taxpayer services and don’t pay taxes,” while 23% said they “broke the law by entering the country illegally.” Only 14% said they “take jobs away from Americans and depress wages.”
  • When asked whether We would be better off if people who are in the United States illegally “became legal taxpayers so they pay their fair share,” or “left the country because they are taking away jobs that Americans need,” 67% of Independents agreed with the former statement while 28% chose the latter.
  • When given arguments for and against tackling comprehensive immigration reform in light of the economic downturn, 54% of Independents said we should enact immigration reform and 43% said we should focus on other priorities. [2]
  • When asked again about priorities for Congress, 47% of Independents said “Congress can handle multiple issues at the same time.  They should tackle immigration reform this year,” while 51% of Independents said “With the economy and healthcare already on Congress’ plate this year, they should wait and tackle immigration reform later.”

INDEPENDENT VOTERS WANT POLICYMAKERS TO OFFER SOLUTIONS, NOT SOUNDBITES

  • When asked whose approach to immigration reform most closely reflects their view, 16% of Independent voters chose the Democrats in Congress while 44% chose the Republicans. Fully 38% chose “neither” or “don’t know,” showing that many voters simply do not know the parties’ positions on the issue, or do not see a difference between them.  However, Independents’ strong support for a comprehensive solution makes it clear that candidates who embrace comprehensive reform are in line with the majority of Independent voters.
  • Polling in Congressional battleground districts confirms that comprehensive immigration reform has strong support even in swing districts.  Polling in three conservative Congressional Districts (ID-1, AL-2, and CA-3) from June 2009 is entirely consistent with the results of the May and December 2009 national surveys.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

[1] December 19-21, 2009 survey of 800 likely 2010 voters nationwide. The margin of error for this survey is ±3.46% overall, and ±5.66% for the Independent subgroup. 

[2] Question worded as follows: “Now I’d like to read you a pair of statements. Of the two, please tell me which statement is closer to your own views. A: With the economic situation in this country so bad right now, this just isn’t the time to worry about fixing immigration. The world economy is in turmoil, and the President and Congress need to focus on getting things back on track before more Americans lose their jobs or their homes.  B: The economic crisis we are currently in makes it more crucial than ever that we solve our immigration problems. We must pass a comprehensive approach that secures the border, cracks down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and requires all illegal immigrants to register with the government, undergo background checks, and pay back taxes to earn legal immigration status. They would have to meet additional conditions in order to become citizens including learning English and continuing to work and pay taxes. If we do this, we will ensure that all Americans get higher wages and move 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows and onto the tax rolls.”