POLL: Immigration now the leading policy concern among U.S. voters

01/24/2024 / By Laura Harris

A new poll reveals that immigration is now the leading policy concern among American voters, outpacing inflation and other national issues like economics and jobs.

The poll, conducted by the Harvard University Center for American Political Studies in collaboration with market research and analytics firm The Harvard Poll this January, shows a shift in public sentiment, with 35 percent of respondents identifying immigration as their primary concern this coming election and inflation closely behind at 32 percent.

“Economy and jobs” followed after immigration and inflation, with 25 percent of the votes from respondents. “Crime and drugs” and health care each only garnered 16 percent of the votes from participants, while the deficit and national security got 14 percent. Corruption and the environment rounded out the list, with only 13 percent of respondents highlighting these issues.

Meanwhile, 38 percent of respondents say inflation directly and personally affected them, while 17 percent say the same about immigration. The poll also explored other issues directly impacting individuals, revealing that crime and climate change received a 10 percent vote each, while abortion and racial equity received a seven percent vote each.

The noticeable pivot toward immigration aligns with the broader political landscape, where border policy has become a core issue in the ongoing national discourse. Simultaneously, a decline in inflation has somewhat diminished its political prominence, despite being a persistent problem under the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden is now facing a double-edged sword of challenges ahead of his re-election bid.

A separate poll conducted by HarrisX shows that approval ratings for Biden are languishing at a low 42 percent due to the disconnection between the official numbers of border encounters and public perception.

For instance, 2,475,669 border encounters were reported in fiscal year 2023, with early numbers for fiscal 2024 indicating similar figures in October and November. The record also shows that migrant encounters without prior authorization to enter the country have maintained a level of stability since fiscal year 2022.

However, the HarrisX poll suggests otherwise. A significant 64 percent of respondents believe that conditions at the border are deteriorating, while only 13 percent feel they are improving. The partisan divide on this issue is stark, with 81 percent of Republicans, 68 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats expressing the view that conditions are worsening.

A substantial 68 percent of respondents also advocate for tougher measures to deter illegal entry into the United States, while 32 percent support maintaining current border policies. The call for stronger border enforcement received widespread support among 85 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of independents, but Democrats are evenly split, with 50 percent favoring tougher measures and the other half supporting the status quo.

Foreign-born population has reached an all-time high under Biden

Meanwhile, a study conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) has found that the country’s foreign-born population has reached an all-time high of 49.5 million.

Since Biden took office in January 2021, the foreign-born population has increased by 4.5 million. The data reveals notable spikes in immigration from South America (28 percent increase), Central America (25 percent increase), Sub-Saharan Africa (21 percent increase), the Caribbean (20 percent increase) and the Middle East (14 percent). Of this increase, CIS estimates that more than half, around 2.5 million, can be attributed to illegal immigration.

“The scale of immigration is so high that it appears to have made the new Census Bureau population projections, published on Nov. 9 of this year, obsolete,” the CIS report stated.

Under former President Barack Obama, the foreign-born population increased by approximately 68,000 individuals per month. This figure dropped to 42,000 under former President Donald Trump, only to surge dramatically to 137,000 per month under Biden.

CIS Director of Research Steven A. Camarota and CIS Demographer Karen Zeigler estimate that if current immigration trends persist, the foreign-born population could reach nearly 59 million, exceeding 17 percent of the total population by the end of Biden’s second term in December 2028, if he were reelected.

Visit InvasionUSA.news for more stories about Joe Biden’s soft immigration policies.

Watch this video showing New York City Mayor Eric Adams finally pushing President Joe Biden to do something about illegal aliens.

This video is from the Red Voice Media channel on Brighteon.com.