Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters believe securing control of the US border to stop illegal immigration is more important than creating a pathway to citizenship for people who entered the country illegally. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 42% disagree and believe a pathway to citizenship is more important.
Data released earlier showed that 50% of voters believe illegal immigration to be a crisis.
Not surprisingly, those who believe all immigration is bad for the United States overwhelmingly see securing the border as the top priority. And, those who favor an open borders approach overwhelmingly think the pathway to citizenship is more important.
In between are those with mainstream views on immigration. This group, a solid majority of the voting public, believes that legal immigration is good for the United States and illegal immigration is bad. Among these mainstream voters, 57% say securing the border should be the top priority. Thirty-nine percent (39%) take the opposite view.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republicans see border security as the top priority. That’s the overwhelming view of those who prefer Trump-like policies. Those who prefer traditional GOP policies are more evenly divided.
On the other side of the aisle, 60% of Democrats see creating a pathway to citizenship as the top goal.
Data released earlier showed that 54% of voters believe the top priority should be given to those with skills that will benefit the United States rather than to those who have relatives in the United States. Just 24% believe family relationships should be the top priority and 22% are not sure.
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Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left more than seven years ago and has had no involvement since that time.
Methodology
The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from June 24-26, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online or via text while 153 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Online respondents were selected from a list of Registered Voters and through a process of Random Digital Engagement. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.
