More than two in three Americans disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is currently doing at the border, a new poll by The Associated Press and NORC showed on Friday.
Concretely, 68% of respondents gave said answer, although the partisan divide is predictably much higher, with 56% of Democrats approving of Biden's job and only 9% of Republicans doing so. The figure was extremely high for independents, as only 20% gave that answer.
Republicans were much more likely to blame Biden and Democrats for border issues than the other way around (that is, Democrats blaming Trump and Republicans for the situation). Almost three in every four Republicans (73%) said Biden is extremely or very responsible, the figure being 68% for all Democrats in Congress.
In turn, 58% of Democrats put the blame on Republicans in Congress and 53% of them did so with Donald Trump. The figure was below 50% for independents in all scenarios, the same being the case when looking at the overall figure.
The survey also showed that over half of respondents ranked immigration as an "extremely or very important issue to them personally, including 75% of Republicans, 52% of independents and 46% of Democrats." However, figures showed more people considered issues like the economy, healthcare, crime or gun policies as more important. It was tied in terms of importance with abortion. For Democrats, it was the lowest ranked priority.
Asked whether immigrants had a major impact on the country in the past five years, a majority of respondents (62%) said this was the case. Most Republicans (75%) gave this response, compared to 54% of Democrats and 56% of independents.
Figures dropped drastically when respondents were asked if immigrants had had an impact in their own communities. All groups who said so didn't surpass 40%, with most saying they'd had a minor impact.
As for their effect, "60% makes the country weaker." "Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to believe that diversity makes the country stronger (90% vs 43%). Forty-three percent of independents think diversity makes the country stronger," reads a passage of the survey.
Democrats, who tend to view immigrants in a positive light, said they tend to take jobs Americans don't want, contribute to government revenue by paying taxes and contribute to the country's overall economic growth, although figures were different for legal and illegal immigrants.
Republicans were much more likely to view them in a negative light, with most not agreeing that they benefit the country in a major way in any of the issues mentioned.
At a general level the public is supportive of measures to address the surge in illegal immigration: "Hiring more border patrol agents is supported by about two-thirds of adults, including about 79% of Republicans, 54% of Democrats, and 56% of independents. Adding additional immigration judges and court personnel is popular among both Democrats and Republicans, but few independents agree," the survey says.
Moreover, about half of respondents said they'd want to reduce the number of immigrants who seek asylum in the country. But the partisan divide appears again, with Republicans twice as likely to support that approach.
"A wall is the least popular and most polarizing option. Only 42% of Americans think issues at the border should be addressed by building a wall, including 77% of Republicans but only 12% of Democrats and 40% of independents," the survey concluded.
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