Chart of the Day

Positive views about immigrants more than doubled between 1994 and 2017.

Public opinion surveys have frequently asked the U.S. public whether “immigrants today strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents” or whether “immigrants today are a burden on our country because they take our jobs, housing and health care.” The above figure shows the percent indicating that immigrants “strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents” from every question in the Roper Center’s iPOLL database from 1994 to 2017 (the last time the question was asked). Although views toward immigrants have varied over the years, more than 60 percent of the U.S. public indicated that immigrants strengthen our country in December of 2016 and in March, May, and July of 2017.

Thanks to Peter K. Enns, Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Roper Center, Cornell University and Kyle M. Howard, Ph.D. Student, Department of Government, Cornell University.