Interesting USA Today/Gallup Poll
CARLHAYDEN:
Opinions go against immigration measure, poll says
USA Today
Jun. 4, 2007 02:03 PM
WASHINGTON - As the Senate prepares to vote on a landmark immigration bill, a USA Today/Gallup Poll finds that Americans who have an opinion about it are overwhelmingly opposed to the deal.
By nearly 3-1, those who have a view say they're against the compromise supported by Senate Democratic leaders and President Bush. However, 58 percent of those surveyed say they don't know enough about the legislation to favor or oppose it.
The telephone poll of 1,007 adults was taken Friday through Sunday. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The bill would grant about 12 million immigrants living illegally in the United States a chance to become citizens. It also would expand the "guest-worker" program and change the criteria for admitting immigrants to give less weight to family ties and more to job skills.
An ABC News/Washington Post survey released Monday found narrow majorities of Americans supported an expanded guest-worker program and a path to legal status for illegal immigrants in the United States.
The legislation has divided the Republican Party - it seems sure to be raised at tonight's debate in New Hampshire among the Republican presidential field - and brought withering criticism from such conservative talk-show hosts as Rush Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs.
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Massachusetts Democratic Edward Kennedy and Arizona Republican Jon Kyl, have defeated amendments that would have upended the bill's fragile compromises.
One key debate this week is likely to be over the priority that would be given in the legislation to immigrants with particular job skills.
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., has proposed continuing the priority given to family ties in current law to hundreds of thousands of people who have applied for green cards.
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, both Democratic presidential contenders, have endorsed that proposal.
Kyl says he'll withdraw his support for the bill if the amendment passes.
In the USA Today/Gallup Poll, Americans were split on the issue: 44 percent say those with family ties in the USA should be given preference; 43 percent say highly skilled workers should be given preference.
Charges that the bill amounts to "amnesty" for illegal immigrants have struck a chord among foes. In response to an open-ended question, 39 percent of the bill's critics cite "amnesty" as a reason for their opposition.
Among supporters, reasons most often cited were the need to do something to address the issue and the feeling that the bill's provisions were fair.
In the poll, 30 percent oppose the bill and 11 percent favor it. Four percent say they "strongly favor" the measure while 18 percent "strongly oppose" it.
CARLHAYDEN:
Oh, and here's some more details previously withheld:
Some cross tabs comparing how closely a person is following the Senate amnesty bill and their position on that proposed legislation.
Based on what you have heard or read about it, do you favor or oppose this proposed bill, or don't you know enough to say?
Favor Oppose Don't Know No answer
How closely
following news
about immigration
bill?
Very closely 17% 61% 20% 2%
Somewhat closely 15 37 48 0
Not Closely 4 9 87 0
agcatter:
In other words, the more one knows about the bill, the more they are likely to oppose it.
CARLHAYDEN:
Exactly!
Alcon:
Although, there's the obvious caveat that people overestimate their education religiously on questions like that.
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