NATIONAL SURVEY OF REGISTERED VOTERS

REGARDING IMMIGRATION
SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2012
Hello, this is
with
, a national public opinion research company. We're talking with people today
for just a few minutes about some issues facing the country. We are not trying to sell anything, your answers are
completely confidential, and we would really appreciate your cooperation (DO NOT PAUSE).
A. Are you registered to vote in the county in which you live?
YES........................................................GO TO QUESTION C
NO..........................................................GO TO QUESTION B
B. Is there anyone else in your household who is registered to vote in your county?
YES................................. May I speak with that person please? GO TO INTRO
NO.................................................................................................. THANK AND CLOSE
C. Are you, or is any member of your family, employed by a political campaign, an elected official, or a media
organization?
YES......................................................................THANK AND CLOSE
NO.........................................................................GO TO QUESTION 1
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED .................................THANK AND CLOSE
1. If the election for President were being held today and the candidates were (ROTATE: Mitt Romney, the
Republican, and Barack Obama, the Democrat) for which candidate would you vote?
IF REFUSED OR UNDECIDED, ASK:
Which way do you lean as of today,
toward (ROTATE: Romney or Obama)?

ROMNEY................................ 39%
LEAN ROMNEY ...................... 2%
OBAMA .................................. 45%
LEAN OBAMA......................... 3%
UNDECIDED.......................... 12%
Collapsed ROMNEY................................ 41%
OBAMA .................................. 48%
UNDECIDED.......................... 12%

2. If the election for U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, would you vote for the (ROTATE:
Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate)?
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE........................................... 39%
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE.......................................... 44%
DEPENDS ON THE CANDIDATES (VOL.) ..................... 8%
DONT KNOW/REFUSED.................................................. 9%

Note: Percentages may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

Results are based on 800 weighted respondents, with a margin-of-error of 3.46 percent.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 1

Immigration Views
3. Which of the following statements comes closer to your view about the effect immigration has on the U.S.
economy (ROTATE):
a. Immigration is an economic benefit to the United States, because immigrant workers fill jobs in America
that citizens either do not want or cannot do.
b. Immigration is an economic threat to the United States, because immigrant workers take jobs that would
otherwise be filled by American citizens.
IF DONT KNOW/NO OPINION, ASK:
If you had to choose, which way would
you lean, toward immigration being
(ROTATE: an economic benefit or an
economic threat)?

ECONOMIC BENEFIT......................... 51%

LEAN ECONOMIC BENEFIT ............... 4%
ECONOMIC THREAT ......................... 30%
LEAN ECONOMIC THREAT................ 3%
DON'T KNOW/NO OPINION .............. 12%

4. Which of the following do you think will do more to strengthen our border (ROTATE: increasing the presence
of law enforcement officials along the border or creating a system for handling temporary guest workers that would
come here legally and then return home)?
LAW ENFORCEMENT..................................................... 35%
GUEST WORKER SYSTEM ............................................ 52%
BOTH (VOL.)....................................................................... 4%
DON'T KNOW/NO OPINION............................................. 8%
5. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: It is not possible to have absolute border control
without a better system for handling guest workers.
IF CHOICE MADE, ASK: Would that be strongly (AGREE/DISAGREE) or just somewhat (AGREE/DISAGREE)?
STRONGLY AGREE......................................................... 34%
SOMEWHAT AGREE....................................................... 39%
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE .................................................. 8%
STRONGLY DISAGREE .................................................... 8%
DON'T KNOW/NO OPINION........................................... 10%
6. Thinking more about a guest worker program, which of the following statements comes closer to your view
(ROTATE):
a. The federal government should be responsible for administering a guest worker program because it has
experience issuing international identification like passports, and can track workers through combined
federal and state databases.
b. Private sector firms should be responsible for administering a guest worker program because they are faster
and more efficient than government bureaucracies, and can ensure border safety by using new biometric
technology like verifying fingerprints, and conducting instant criminal background checks.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ............................................. 49%
PRIVATE SECTOR ........................................................... 38%
BOTH SAME (VOL.) .......................................................... 3%
NEITHER ONE (VOL.) ....................................................... 3%
DON'T KNOW/NO OPINION............................................. 7%

Note: Percentages may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

Results are based on 800 weighted respondents, with a margin-of-error of 3.46 percent.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 2

7.

Do you support or oppose the following proposal to address illegal immigration:

The proposal would require all illegal immigrants currently living and working in the United States to leave the
country. They could immediately apply for new TEMPORARY guest worker visas linking specific workers to
specific jobs through private U.S. employment agencies licensed by the federal government. Each applicant would
undergo an instant background check by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security before their temporary
guest worker visa is granted.
IF SUPPORT/OPPOSE, ASK: Would that be strongly (support/oppose), or just somewhat (support/oppose)?
STRONGLY SUPPORT .................................................... 28%
SOMEWHAT SUPPORT................................................... 32%
SOMEWHAT OPPOSE ..................................................... 13%
STRONGLY OPPOSE ....................................................... 17%
DON'T KNOW/NO OPINION........................................... 10%
8. Some people have proposed a DREAM Act, which would allow children of undocumented immigrants who
have grown up in America to attain legal residency status if they complete college or serve in the U.S. military. In
general, do you think that proposal is a good idea or a bad idea?
GOOD IDEA ...................................................................... 74%
BAD IDEA ......................................................................... 20%
DON'T KNOW/NO OPINION............................................. 6%
Now I am going to read several arguments regarding approaches for dealing with illegal immigration. For each one,
would you please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with that
argument (READ IN ORDER):
STRONGLY SOMEWHAT SOMEWHAT STRONGLY
AGREE
AGREE
DISAGREE DISAGREE

9.

DON'T
KNOW

The DREAM Act only addresses the

immigration problem for 10 percent of
undocumented immigrants, so it is only
a partial solution to our countrys
immigration problem.

26%

42%

9%

8%

14%

10. Many young people who would qualify for

the DREAM Act will not come forward out
of fear they would expose their parents as
illegal immigrants.

39%

34%

8%

9%

10%

11. Since the DREAM Act only applies to 10

percent of all undocumented immigrants,
and many of these people may not come
forward for fear of exposing their parents,
we will still need a solution to the guest
worker problem in order to address the
immigration issue for everyone.

46%

34%

5%

6%

9%

Note: Percentages may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

Results are based on 800 weighted respondents, with a margin-of-error of 3.46 percent.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 3

Demographics
Now I have a few questions just for statistical purposes.
12. In politics today, do you normally think of yourself as (ROTATE: a Republican, an independent, or a
Democrat)?
IF "REPUBLICAN" OR "DEMOCRAT", ASK:

Would you consider yourself a strong or

a not-so-strong Republican/Democrat?
IF "INDEPENDENT," ASK:

Do you think of yourself as closer to the

(ROTATE: Republican or Democratic
Party)?

STRONG REP.................................... 20%

NOT-SO-STRONG REP...................... 8%
IND LEAN REP................................. 10%
IND/NO PREF ................................... 10%
IND LEAN DEM ............................... 10%
NOT-SO-STRONG DEM .................... 7%
STRONG DEM .................................. 28%
REFUSED ............................................ 7%

13. When thinking about politics today, do you normally consider yourself to be (ROTATE: very conservative,
somewhat conservative, moderate, somewhat liberal, or very liberal)?
VERY CONSERVATIVE.................................................. 20%
SOMEWHAT CONSERVATIVE...................................... 23%
MODERATE ...................................................................... 23%
SOMEWHAT LIBERAL ................................................... 17%
VERY LIBERAL................................................................ 11%
NO OPINION ....................................................................... 6%
14. Are you or is anyone in your immediate family a member of a labor union?
IF YES, ASK: Is it a government employee or private sector union?
YES/GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE UNION ..................... 7%
YES/PRIVATE SECTOR UNION..................................... 11%
NO....................................................................................... 78%
DON'T KNOW ..................................................................... 4%
15. Would you please stop me when I read the last level of education you completed?
LESS THAN HIGH SCHOOL............................................. 3%
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE .......................................... 17%
SOME COLLEGE .............................................................. 23%
COLLEGE GRADUATE ................................................... 32%
GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL ................ 22%
REFUSED (DO NO READ) ................................................ 4%

Note: Percentages may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

Results are based on 800 weighted respondents, with a margin-of-error of 3.46 percent.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 4

16. Would you please stop me when I read the correct category for your age?
18 TO 29 ............................................................................. 12%
30 TO 39 ............................................................................. 19%
40 TO 49 ............................................................................. 21%
50 TO 64 ............................................................................. 29%
65 OR OLDER ................................................................... 19%
17. Are you from a Hispanic or Spanish-speaking background?
IF NO, ASK: What would you say is your main race: white, African American, Asian, or something else?
YES/HISPANIC ................................................................... 9%
NO/WHITE......................................................................... 75%
NO/BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN............................... 13%
NO/ASIAN ........................................................................... 1%
NO/OTHER .......................................................................... 2%
REFUSED............................................................................. 1%
That's all the questions I have. Thank you very much for sharing your opinions with us.
18. Gender (from observation)
MALE ................................................................................. 46%
FEMALE ............................................................................ 54%
19. COUNTY FIPS:

Note: Percentages may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

Results are based on 800 weighted respondents, with a margin-of-error of 3.46 percent.
North Star Opinion Research
Page 5