Poll: Majority of Americans Support Reduction of Immigration Levels

According to the latest polling, a clear majority of Americans want to see immigration levels reduced, not increased.

Axios reports that the latest poll from Gallup shows that 55% of American adults want legal immigration lowered. This marks the highest percentage of Americans in favor of this immigration stance since 58% said so back in 2001. Last June, that number was down to just 41%.

The previous record high percentage in favor of reduced immigration was 65%, which was recorded in both 1993 and 1995.

While the stance is more broadly shared among Republican and independent respondents, the poll indicates that even Democrats are starting to shift towards a stricter position on immigration. The poll found that 88% of Republicans are in favor of lower immigration (a 15-point increase from the previous poll last June), as are 50% of independents (an 11-point increase). Although the percentage among Democrats is just 28%, this marks a noticeable 10-point shift from the prior results.

Polling throughout the year has consistently shown immigration to be the top issue for primary voters, even ahead of other concerns such as the economy. Gallup also reported that 42% of respondents considered the border issue to be a “crisis.”

The noticeable shift on the immigration issue is likely to benefit the campaign of former President Donald Trump, who has consistently made immigration one of the top focuses of his campaigns for the presidency.