A June 2019 Gallup Poll finds that while 23% of the public view Immigration as the nation’s most pressing problem, 76% feel immigration is good for the country, and 65% think immigration should stay at current levels or be increased. For the first time since Gallup has asked the question, a majority (55%) felt that immigrants help the economy, rather than hurt it.
While there were party line differences, 62% of Republicans joined the 87% of Democrats and 78% of independents who viewed immigration as good for the nation. But when it comes to the economy, 60% of Republicans saw immigration as having a negative effect, while 72% of Democrats and 58% of independents viewed immigration’s impact as positive.
It’s no surprise that the public sees immigration as one of the nation’s most important problems, given the humanitarian crisis at the southern border playing out daily in the media. But the fact that the public also views immigration positively would indicate that Congress should be able get support for reforming our broken immigration system, despite the topic being commonly played as a wedge issue.
You can read Gallup’s report on its poll here.