From August 6-14, 2008, Bendixen & Associates conducted a poll for NDN of 500 voters in each of four states: Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. The margin of error for each state sample is +/-4%. The poll was conducted in English and Spanish and included an oversampling of at least 150 Hispanic voters in each state.
Sixty percent of Florida voters believe undocumented immigrants are not taking jobs from American citizens. Voters overwhelmingly agreed with the sentiment that undocumented immigrants in the country were not taking jobs from American citizens, but were rather taking jobs that nobody else wanted. Sixty percent of voters in Florida supported this position. Only 31% of voters in Florida believed undocumented immigrants were taking jobs from American citizens and legal immigrants.
Two-thirds of voters in Florida support comprehensive immigration reform. When asked whether they supported comprehensive immigration reform, 67% of voters in Florida said yes. Less than 25% of the respondents opposed comprehensive immigration reform. NDN’s poll defined comprehensive immigration reform as system that “strengthens border security, sets up an employment verification plan, establishes serious criminal penalties for employers that hire illegal workers, creates a new visa program for 200,000 workers annually, substantially increases the number of family visas available for the immediate relatives of legal immigrants, and grants illegal immigrants conditional legal status for six years and then a path to permanent residency and citizenship if they meet certain requirements.” [NDN]
Hispanic Voters in Florida Trust Democrats More Than Republicans To Tackle Immigration Reform. By a margin of 48% to 29%, Hispanic voters trust the Democratic Party more than the Republican Party to tackle immigration reform in Congress. [NDN]