Gallup Poll: 31 Percent of Americans Want Immigration Decreased

A new Gallup poll of Americans reveals a nation almost evenly split over whether to decrease or increase immigration.

The poll revealed:

• 33% say they want immigration increased, while 31% want it decreased.
• Support for increased immigration is growing slightly
• A larger percentage of Hispanic Americans favor increased immigration than other groups of Americans

The poll results come at a time when there is more attention in the country focused on immigration. Crossings from Central America are surging at the U.S. southern border, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Biden administration has faced challenges in housing unaccompanied children who have passed through the Mexican border. And Congress has been unable to agree on immigration legislation.

Republicans tend to view the issue with more urgency, the Journal reports.

Former President Donald Trump made building a border wall a centerpiece of his administration. President Joe Biden has told people in Central America not to come to American but instead to apply through legal channels.

Immigration is the most important problem facing America, according to 9% of those polled by Gallup.

The poll shows 42% of Hispanic Americans favor increased immigration, compared to 32% of non-Hispanic Blacks, and 30% of non-Hispanic whites favored it.

There are significant differences in attitudes toward immigration depending on political party affiliation. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans favor reduced immigration, while only 12% of Democrats want immigration to be reduced.

Republicans are increasingly likely to view immigration negatively, but Democrats and independents increasingly view immigration as a positive thing.

Education, too, plays a role in attitudes toward immigration, the poll suggests. Half of people with postgraduate education indicated they think immigration should be increased. But among people with a high school education or less, only a quarter favored that.

Overall, three in four respondents said immigration is a "good thing" for the country, and 21% rated it a "bad thing."

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted from June 1 to 5, 2021, with a random sample of 1,381 adults aged 18 and older living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error is within 3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

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