The majority of Republicans say the United States is “worse off” from the nation’s decades-long policy of admitting over a million legal immigrants annually in addition to adding millions of illegal aliens to the United States population every few years, a poll finds.
A poll of 1,500 American adults from The Economist/YouGov reveals a majority–63 percent–of Republicans believe immigration has made the United States worse off overall, while 16 percent said the U.S. is better off as a result. About 13 percent said immigration does not make much of a difference and eight percent said they were not sure.
Likewise, 63 percent of self-identified conservatives said immigration made the United States worse off, as did 67 percent of those who voted for former President Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The poll found that more Americans overall, 35 percent, believe immigration has made the United States worse off than those who say immigration has made the United States better off–only 31 percent. Twenty percent said immigration has not changed much about the country and 14 percent said they were unsure.
The findings are significant as GOP presidential primary candidates debate issues, including at what numerical limit the nation’s immigration level should be set.
While The Economist/YouGov poll asked respondents if they wanted to increase, decrease, or not touch legal immigration levels, the question failed to state current legal immigration levels or provide numerical limits from which respondents could choose.
A Rasmussen Reports survey asked 1,250 likely U.S. voters what numerical limit they most support for annual legal immigration. Half of Republican voters say they want fewer than 500,000 legal immigrants admitted to the U.S. annually — a figure that would see current levels slashed in at least half.
Meanwhile, the survey found that a majority of likely U.S. voters, 53 percent, want legal immigration levels at anywhere from fewer than 500,000 to a maximum of 750,000 admissions per year. This indicates most voters want legal immigration levels cut, not increased.
Last year, the nation’s population hit a record 333 million, the highest in American history, with 80 percent of population growth deriving from immigration. By 2060, the foreign-born population is set to hit 70 million if current legal immigration levels are not reduced.
Today, the foreign-born population stands at 48 million, which is the largest ever recorded in American history.
At the same time, the latest estimates suggest that nearly 17 million illegal aliens currently reside across the United States, costing American taxpayers about $163 billion every year. The illegal alien population has grown by more than two million since President Joe Biden took office.
The margin of error of the The Economist/YouGov survey, which was taken July 29 – August 1, 2023, is ± 3.2% adjusted for weighting, and ± 3% for registered voters.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
