POLL: Young People Overwhelmingly Support Expanded Immigrant Rights

By Kenrya Rankin Oct 07, 2015

A new poll reveals that young Americans overwhelmingly support extending citizenship rights to undocumented immigrants. Conducted by Fusion and Langer Research Associates, the phone poll tapped about 1,000 people ages 18 to 35 and asked about their stances on several aspects of immigrants’ rights that have proved hot button topics during the current presidential election cycle. 

Notably, the younger the participant, the more progressive the responses. Meanwhile, research shows that young people are historically less likely to actually vote than their older, more conservative, counterparts. 

Key findings:

  • Fully 81 percent of the 18 to 35 year olds surveyed are in favor of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who either have children who are U.S. citizens or who arrived here as children. That number jumps to 91 percent for 18 to 21 year olds. 
  • When it comes to birthright citizenship—granted by the 14th Amendment—78 percent think that all people born in the United States should be automatic citizens. And 86 percent of the barely legal crowd (18 to 21) feels this way.
  • Only 17 percent of the total respondents agree with xenophobic rhetoric that says immigrants are stealing desirable jobs from citizens.