{"id":23158,"date":"2020-07-02T16:09:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T20:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/?p=23158"},"modified":"2020-07-02T16:09:36","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T20:09:36","slug":"public-opinion-gallup-immigration-levels-immigrationreform-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2020\/07\/02\/public-opinion-gallup-immigration-levels-immigrationreform-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Gallup Gains Clicks with Misleading Headline, But Loses the Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The headline of the just-released Gallup Poll likely achieved its goal \u2013 to get clicks. But it is also misleading and deceptive. In its latest polling release on immigration, Gallup chose to frame the findings with the following headline, \u201cAmericans Want More, Not Less, Immigration for First Time<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the headline true? Not\nexactly. What the poll found is that for the first time the percentage of\nAmericans who say immigration should be increased outnumbers those who say it\nshould be decreased. However, neither group constitutes anything close to a\nmajority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gallup poll did find that\nfor the first time in the poll\u2019s history that 34 percent of respondents want to\nsee \u201cimmigration to the U.S. increased,\u201d compared to 28 percent who want it\ndecreased. But that leaves 36 percent who want levels unchanged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nthe headline, as well as the \u201ckey takeaways\u201d section, ignores is that a\nmajority of Americans (64 percent) either want to see immigration levels\ndecrease or to remain unchanged. Nor does the headline provide context. While\nthe number of Americans who back more immigration is at its highest point, it\nis still just a mere 34 percent, which is hardly indicative of a swing in\npublic opinion toward opening the gates to mass immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, a breakdown of the polling data<\/a> shows who is really driving the increased support. The poll, which was conducted from May 28 to June 4, shows that the boost came from Democrats (a 9-point increase) and political independents (a 7-point increase). This is important because it provides some insight into what is driving their support. President Trump catapulted the issue of immigration into the national spotlight, which has resulted in more focus on the topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Gallup itself later notes,\n\u201cThe rise among Democrats and independents coincides with a period of time when\nRepublican leadership has attempted to limit immigration via physical barriers\nor changes to visa restrictions and de jure bans of immigrants from over 10\ncountries.\u201d So, it may be fair to ask whether immigration being a priority for\nthe Trump administration and for some Republicans in Congress had an influence\non their views. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gallup poll should be\nread in context of the findings of other recent surveys that show Americans\npresently back pausing, not increasing, immigration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n