The Mechanics of Immigration Polls

Abstract

This poll review examines how surveys assess the American public’s views on immigration. It reviews four aspects of the current state of polling in this domain: when surveys are asking about immigration, what surveys are asking about immigration, who is being surveyed, and how the surveys are being conducted. The timing and content of surveys vary with policy debates and events like election campaigns, and there has been an increasing frequency and diversity of items over time. Along with this change, the samples of respondents themselves are changing as surveys have increasingly turned to the challenge of drawing representative samples of immigrants, Latinos, and Asian Americans. The review concludes with recommendations for continued improvements and future possibilities in this area.