Pew Poll: Immigration Pessimism on the Rise

By David Eldridge

Posted June 4, 2015 at 10:00am

Support for a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants remains strong, but the number of Americans who believe immigrants are a drain on the country is on the rise, according to a new Pew Research Center
report .

The center reports 72 percent of Americans said in a poll conducted in May that undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. should be allowed to stay in the country legally, if certain requirements are met. That result has fluctuated only slightly in recent years, according to Pew.

But the survey of 2,002 adults also found the number of respondents who see immigrants as a strain on housing, health care and the jobs market has increased 6 points, from 35 percent to 41 percent, over the past two years.

The survey found President Barack Obama with some of his lowest issue approval ratings for his handling of immigration. Only 37 percent approved of the president’s immigration moves, while 56 percent disapproved.

The poll had a 2.5-point margin of error.