Briefing Highlights Positive Voter Attitudes Toward Undocumented Immigrants

Briefing Highlights Positive Voter Attitudes Toward Undocumented Immigrants
Candidates using anti-immigrant rhetoric are out of sync with electorate

WASHINGTON, D.C.—At a briefing hosted today by NCLR (National Council of La Raza), a panel of immigration and political experts and scholars discussed the implications of new data released by The George Washington University (GW) which show that most U.S. voters have positive views of undocumented immigrants when it comes to their character, motivation and impact on our nation. Participating in the forum were NCLR immigration expert Clarissa Martínez-De-Castro, GW Associate Professor Michael Cornfield, scholar and journalist Edward Schumacher-Matos, and Republican consultant Katie Packer.

“Among American voters today, there is a substantial, multidimensional and widespread favorable attitude toward undocumented immigrants,” said Dr. Cornfield, Associate Professor of Political Management and Research Director, Global Center for Political Engagement, The George Washington University. “Political strategists and policymakers should take these majority attitudes into serious consideration.”

According to the new GW analysis, “Broad Sympathies and Borderline Myths,” most American voters consider undocumented immigrants in a positive light, agreeing that they are “family and community oriented” (71 percent), and “filling jobs Americans don’t want” (67 percent). A majority of those surveyed disagreed that undocumented immigrants “are ‘cheaters’ here just to help themselves” (59 percent), “belong to gangs and commit many crimes” (56 percent), or “threaten our traditional American culture” (56 percent).

“We have seen Donald Trump types throughout American history make such vile comments and for a while it appeals to people’s fears,” said Schumacher-Matos, a public policy scholar at The Wilson Center. "In the 19th century, it appealed to a populist movement that proudly called itself the ‘Know-Nothings’ and who accused Irish Catholic immigrants of being apelike and criminals. But sooner or later, as this poll shows, the vast majority of Americans catch on."

“The findings show that the majority of voters disagree with Donald Trump’s offensive remarks, and that demonizing immigrants will not win the White House,” said Martínez-De-Castro, Deputy Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation, NCLR. “The vast majority of Americans are in a much more pragmatic place than Congress on this issue, and they believe immigrants make valuable contributions to our nation.”

“Our study of GOP primary voters in early states along with general election voters in swing states indicates that the strongest candidate is one who supports a multistep path toward legal status for undocumented immigrants, along with much stronger border security,” said Katie Packer of Burning Glass Consulting. “This combination of accountability and compassion is the sweet spot for a majority of American voters.”

“Broad Sympathies and Borderline Myths” examines attitudes across age groups, region and party affiliation on issues related to work, social benefits, crime, commitment to family and community, and religion, among others. Participants were asked if they agreed or disagreed with positive and negative statements often heard about undocumented immigrants. The analysis, authored by Dr. Cornfield, Dr. F. Christopher Arterton and Jamie P. Chandler of GW’s Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM), was based on data collected from 1,000 registered voters during a GW bipartisan nationwide poll conducted May 3–6, 2015, and has a margin of error of +/– 3.1 percent.

The full presentation from the briefing is available at www.nclr.org.

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

About the GW Graduate School of Political Management
George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, founded in 1987 and located in the heart of Washington, DC, is the first and foremost school of applied politics and advocacy. For more information on GSPM, please visit gspm.gwu.edu or follow along on Facebook and Twitter. For media inquiries, please contact John Brandt, Associate Director for Media Relations, GSPM, at Johnbrandt@gwu.edu or (202) 994-3199.