Satisfaction with US immigration levels at lowest point in decade: Poll
Misty Severi
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Satisfaction with the level of immigration into the United States is at its lowest point in a decade, according to a January poll from Gallup that was released on Monday.
The numbers dipped six percentage points compared to 2022, from 34% in January of last year to 28% in 2023. The numbers are part of Gallup’s annual “Mood of the Nation” survey that was conducted from Jan. 2 through Jan. 22.
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Although the number is at its lowest level in a decade, the lowest numbers reported overall were in 2007 and 2008 when the numbers dropped to 23% and 24%, respectively. Satisfaction peaked during former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2017 and 2018, when the numbers rose to 40% and 41%, respectively.
“The recent shift in U.S. attitudes no doubt reflects the situation at the Southern border, where the U.S. government reported a fourfold annual increase in migrants attempting to enter the U.S. in 2021, with the figure rising to 1.7 million,” Gallup said in its release.
The majority of Americans dissatisfied with the current level of immigration want to see fewer people coming to the country, with 64% of respondents saying they want immigration to decrease. Only 8% are dissatisfied because they want to see more immigration. The remaining 15% don’t know why they feel that way or want immigration to remain the same.
The percentage of people dissatisfied out of a desire for less immigration has risen over the past two years, increasing from 19% in 2021 to 35% in 2022 and 40% in 2023. And those numbers have risen in both major political parties, according to the poll.
During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last week, Biden tried to frame immigration as bipartisan, claiming, “America’s border problems won’t be fixed until Congress acts.”
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However, the poll results still showed a clear partisan line on immigration, with 71% of Republicans dissatisfied with immigration this year, compared to 19% of Democrats.
Gallup surveyed 1,011 adults in the U.S. and had a four-point margin of error.