Who is Public Agenda?

• A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted

to public opinion and public policy
• Founded in 1975 by social scientist Daniel
Yankelovich and former Secretary of State
Cyrus Vance

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 Why conduct this research?
• A follow-up to our landmark 2002 survey, Now
That I’m Here
• Provides unique trend data on immigrants’
views of a turbulent era
• With reform on the agenda for next year, it’s
essential that we listen to those most affected:
immigrants themselves

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 Methodology
• Survey
– National study of 1,138 foreign-born adults
– Cell phone and landline interviewing
– Special focus on Middle Easterners, South and East
Asians and Central and South Americans
– Conducted in English and Spanish
– Margin of error is ±4 points
• 6 focus groups
• 12 expert interviews
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The Right Move: Immigrants are
satisfied with their choice

• Most say they would still move

here if given the opportunity
again
• 7 in 10 say the United States will
be their permanent home
• Majorities say the U.S. is better
than their birth country at:
– Having more opportunity to earn a
good living
– Having a trustworthy legal system
– Making good health care available
– Having a good education system
The Right Move: Discrimination is common,
but it affects the other guy
• Concerns about discrimination
have held stable since 2002
• Six in ten immigrants say
there’s at least some
discrimination in the U.S.
• But far fewer say they’ve
experienced it personally
• One in ten say they’ve
experienced “a great deal” of
discrimination
Since 2002…
• Immigration services get
better marks
– There’s a 10-point increase in
positive ratings
– There are also increases in
the number who say it’s easy
to get information
Since 2002…
• Slight drop in overall
satisfaction, perhaps driven
by economic concerns
– 87% say they’re happy with
life in the United States, but
there’s been a drop in people
saying they’re “extremely
happy” (55% to 34% now)
– 63% name the economy as
the most important problem,
far more than other issue
– And there’s more openness to
accepting help from the
government
Fitting In: Immigrants adapt
quickly even as ties to the birth
country grow stronger
• Three-quarters felt comfortable in
their communities in fewer than 5
years; 47% say it took less than 2
years
• Roughly half say a lot of the
people they know are from their
birth country
• More immigrants phone home
once a week or more
• More immigrants send money
home “once in a while,” but
there’s no change in those who
send money regularly
 Fitting in: English is necessary
• Roughly half say it’s “very hard” to get a job without
knowing English, and most say learning it should be
expected
• About three-quarters want schools to teach English as
quickly as possible
• And large majorities of those who came here without
knowing English say they have taken classes
• Still, most of those who didn’t speak English when they
arrived in the United States, speak their native
language at home (up 25-points since 2002)

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 Fitting In: Citizenship is common and
seen as a practical step
• Nearly half of the sample are citizens; among
legal residents who are not citizens, 87% are
or are planning to become citizens
• Top considerations for citizenship are:
– Better legal rights
– Showing commitment and pride
– Making it easier to get jobs
– Not worrying about immigration status
Since 2002…
• Practical considerations play a
greater role for citizenship
• There is a 14-point increase in
those who say the following are
major reasons to become a citizen
– Getting certain jobs
– Making it easier to travel
– Qualifying for government programs
like Medicaid and food stamps,
although this still remains quite low
on the overall list
• There were also large increases in
those who cite:
– Dispelling worries about their
immigration status
– Making it easier to bring other family
members to the United States
Immigrants on reform:
• Majorities believe illegal
immigrants will become
productive citizens – the opposite
of most Americans
• Strong majorities favor a “guest
worker” program and a “path to
citizenship” for the
undocumented
• Some exceptions: Older, Asian
and Middle Eastern immigrants
are less likely to say illegal
immigrants will become
productive, support a path to
citizenship or support a guest
worker plan
 Special Focus: Mexicans
• Mexican immigrants are more likely to say the United States is a
good place to raise children (66% vs. 50% of all other immigrants)
• 96% say the United States is a better place to earn a living
• They are especially concerned about discrimination (75% say there
is “a great deal” or “some” discrimination towards immigrants vs.
57% of others)
• They are more likely to cite the practical side of citizenship; greater
numbers cite as major reasons:
– Attainment of legal rights
– Not having to worry about immigration status
– Ease in obtaining certain jobs
– Easier travel into and out of the United States
– Ability to bring family members to the United States

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Special Focus: Muslims
• Most Muslims say they are
“extremely happy” in the United
States
• Nearly all say the United States
will be their permanent home
• They are less likely to show
concern about discrimination
toward immigrants overall, and
similarly small numbers say there
is discrimination against people
from their birth country