Supporters of mass immigration, illegal or otherwise, often say that immigrants take the jobs Americans just won't do, but most voters don’t agree.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters believe Americans would fill construction, technology, hospitality and other service jobs now taken by immigrants if the pay and working conditions were improved. Thirty-three percent (33%) disagree and say there are just not enough Americans willing to do that kind of work. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. The survey question asked to likely voters read:
People say immigrants fill construction, technology, hospitality and other service jobs that Americans don't want. Are there Americans who would take those jobs if pay and working conditions were improved or are there just not enough Americans willing to do that kind of work?
Black Americans (65%) feel more strongly than white Americans (54%) and other minority voters (49%) that Americans would fill construction, technology, hospitality and other service jobs if pay and working conditions were improved.
The younger the voter the more likely they are to agree that Americans would take those jobs if pay and working conditions were improved.
The less one earns annually, the more likely he or she is to believe that Americans would take those jobs if the price was right.
The latest Rasmussen Reports Weekly Immigration Index finds that when businesses say they are having trouble finding Americans to take jobs in construction, manufacturing, hospitality and other service work, 63% think it is better for the country if these businesses raise the pay and try harder to recruit non-working Americans even if it causes prices to rise. Just 22% disagree and say it’s better for the country if the government brings in new foreign workers to help keep business costs and prices down. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided.
Seventy percent (70%) of Republicans and 52% of voters not affiliated with either major party share the view, but just 41% of Democrats agree.
In addition, most voters in general support President Trump’s temporary freeze on legal immigration to give Americans a better chance in the post-coronavirus job market. Most Democrats do not. Voters continue to strongly oppose government benefits and constitutional legal rights for those here illegally and think the availability of those things is a magnet for further illegal immigration.
The survey of 1,500 Likely Voters was conducted June 23, 25 and 28, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
For the full report and survey, please visit Rasmussen Reports.
