Many Support Favorable Treatment of Family Members, Asylum Seekers, Skilled Workers and Professionals Who Want to Immigrate into the United States

ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- While the U.S. public debates immigration policies and how to treat illegal aliens, a new Harris Poll examines other aspects of public attitudes toward immigrants and immigration. This survey finds that large numbers of adults say favorable treatment should be given to some categories of immigrants to make their immigration into the United States easier. It also finds that a three-to-one majority opposes giving preferential treatment to people based on their country of origin.

These are some of the results of a Harris Poll of 2,377 U.S. adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive(R) between April 11 and 17, 2006.

A majority of all adults favor immigration policy that gives favorable treatment to relatives of U.S. citizens, such as children (73%) and spouses (67%). Half of adults (50%) also say that asylum seekers who might be punished, imprisoned or tortured if they were sent home should receive favorable treatment so it is easier for them to immigrate into the United States. Fewer adults think favorable treatment should be given to agricultural workers (22%) and those willing to do unpleasant, low paid jobs Americans don't want to do (20%); two types of work many illegal aliens do.

Fluency in English (56%) and job skills (51%) also top the list of factors that should be considered when determining an immigrant's entrance into the United States.

  Some of the other key findings are:

  --  Only a third (33%) of all adults think that immigrants from some
      countries make a bigger contribution than immigrants from other
      countries.

  --  Only one in five (21%) thinks that immigration policy should give
      preference to those from some countries over those from others.

  --  While a clear majority (62%) is opposed to any policy that gives
      preference based on country of origin, immigrants from some countries
      are seen by minorities of U.S. adults to be more likely to make a
      better contribution than others.

  --  Immigrants from countries that are perceived to "make a better
      contribution than the others" are immigrants from Japan (26%), Britain
      (25%), Canada (24%), Germany (21%) and Australia (21%).

  --  Those who think immigrants from Haiti, Turkey, Pakistan, Nigeria,
      Jamaica and Egypt, for instance, do not make a better contribution
      outnumber those who say they make a better contribution to the United
      States than others.

Perhaps the most interesting and important of all of these findings is that the overwhelming majority of U.S. adults reject the suggestion that immigrants from some countries, such as Haiti or Mexico, make less of a contribution to the country than immigrants coming from white, English- speaking countries. However, they do think that fluency in English is important.

                                 TABLE 1
       WHAT FACTORS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN ADMITTING IMMIGRANTS
"When admitting immigrants into the United States, which of the following
                      factors should be considered?"
  Base: All Adults


                                             Total
                                                %
                         Fluency in English    56
                         Job skills            51
                         Level of education    35
                         Country of origin     33
                         Religion               6
                         None of these         27


                                 TABLE 2

TYPES OF PEOPLE WHO SHOULD RECEIVE FAVORABLE TREATMENT SO THAT IT IS EASIER

FOR THEM TO IMMIGRATE "Which of the following types of people do you think should be given favorable treatment so that it is easier for them to immigrate into the United States?"

  Base: All Adults


                                                         Total
                                                           %
  Children of American citizens                           73
  Spouses of American citizens                            67
  Asylum seekers who might be punished, imprisoned
   or tortured if they are sent home                      50
  People with specialized technical skills where
   there are shortages                                    46
  Professional people like doctors, nurses or teachers    35
  Business people who are willing to invest in
   starting new businesses here                           31
  People with graduate degrees                            23
  Agricultural workers                                    22
  People willing to do unpleasant, low paying jobs
   Americans don't want to do                             20
  Factory workers                                         12
  Sports stars                                             9
  None of these                                           16

  Note: Multiple-response question.

                                 TABLE 3
 DO IMMIGRANTS FOR SOME COUNTRIES MAKE A BIGGER CONTRIBUTION THAN OTHERS

"Do you think that immigrants from some countries make a bigger contribution

          here than others, or do they all equally contribute?"
  Base: All Adults

       Total
       %
   Immigrants from some countries make a bigger contribution    33
   It makes no difference where they come from, they will all
    equally contribute                                          34
   Not sure                                                     33


                                 TABLE 4
  SHOULD IMMIGRATION POLICY GIVE PREFERENCE TO PEOPLE FROM SOME COUNTRIES
 "Do you think that the U.S. immigration policy should give preference to
      people from some countries over people from other countries?"
  Base: All Adults

                                                 Total
                                                   %
             Yes, should give preference          21
             No, should not give preference       62
             Not sure                             17


                                 TABLE 5

OPINION ON IMMIGRANTS IN RELATION TO CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED STATES "Please indicate any of the following who you think make a better contribution

                            than the others."
     "Please indicate those who you think do not contribute to making
                           the country better."
  Base: All Adults

                               Make Contribution   Do Not Make Contribution
                                        %                      %
  Japanese                             26                      4
  British                              25                      2
  Canadians                            24                      3
  Germans                              21                      3
  Australians                          21                      2
  Chinese                              19                      7
  Irish                                19                      2
  Italians                             18                      3
  Mexicans                             16                     19
  Koreans                              15                      7
  Indians                              15                      7
  Israelis                             15                      7
  Scandinavians                        14                      2
  Vietnamese                           13                     10
  Greeks                               13                      2
  Russians                             11                      9
  Poles                                11                      3
  Spaniards                            10                      5
  Central Americans                     9                     11
  French                                9                     11
  Brazilians                            8                      7
  Egyptians                             7                      9
  Jamaicans                             7                     13
  Nigerians                             7                     14
  Pakistanis                            6                     17
  Turks                                 5                     10
  Haitians                              5                     19
  None / No difference                 54                     62


  Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between April 11 and 17, 2006 among 2,377 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 2,377 adults one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of 2 percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

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  Q950, 951, 955, 960, 965, 970

  About Harris Interactive(R)

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  Press Contact:

  Jennifer Cummings
  Harris Interactive
  585-214-7720

  Harris Interactive Inc. 04/06