How do Americans Feel about Immigration?
Americans are less negative about immigration than they have been in several years, according to a new poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The poll, conducted May 27-Aug. 2, 2004, also shows that native-born Americans who have more contact with immigrants express more positive views toward them than those who have less contact. But overall, many non-immigrants believe immigrants may be changing the nature of the country in a way of which they do not approve. Non-immigrant Americans reserve their most negative views for illegal immigrants; they don’t think the government has been tough enough on immigration, and they would like the government to spend more to tighten the borders. Immigration is not a particularly partisan issue, but there is stronger opposition of than support for a key reform proposed by President Bush. Immigrants themselves differ from non-immigrants in many ways in their attitudes toward immigrants and immigration pol
