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