About half of U.S. adults mentioned immigration and border issues in an open-ended question that asked respondents to share up to five issues they want the government to work on this year.
More Americans say immigration should be a major focus for the government, as the country heads toward a new Republican administration in which President-elect Donald Trump has promised mass deportations and an end to birthright citizenship.
About half of U.S. adults mentioned immigration and border issues in an open-ended question that asked respondents to share up to five issues they want the government to work on this year, according to a December survey by the Center for American Issues Research. Associated Press-NORC Publics.
This represents an increase from the third who mentioned the issue as a government priority in an AP-NORC poll the previous year.
The issue of immigration has gained relevance across the board: among Democrats and Republicans, men and women, and young and old adults. But Republicans, in particular, have converged on this issue in recent years.
About 7 in 10 Republicans say immigration or a U.S.-Mexico border wall should be a primary focus, up from 45% just two years ago.
This means Trump will return to the White House with his base, and much of the country, interested in his signature issue. This is in stark contrast to when he left Washington four years ago, when his successor, Democrat Joe Biden, offered a more welcoming stance toward migrants.
However, even with widespread concern over immigration rising, this issue continues to be overshadowed by economic concerns. About three-quarters of Americans want the government to focus on addressing economic concerns, similar to recent years.
There are a variety of economic issues that Americans want to address: About 3 in 10 mentioned general economic issues, a similar share pointed to inflation, and about 1 in 10 mentioned unemployment or taxes.
One-third of Americans identify foreign policy as an important issue, with health and political issues — both overarching topics — close behind.
Republicans are especially likely to want government action on immigration