| As politicians continue to debate how to address immigration, Americans’ views on the topic have become increasingly polarized, with Republicans becoming significantly more anti-immigrant in their attitudes over the past few years. This year, two reports published by PRRI, “Are Immigrants a Threat? Most Americans Don’t Think So” as well as the 2023 American Values Survey, examined Americans’ attitudes when it comes to immigrants and immigration policy.
PRRI’s first report of the year found that although Trump-era anti-immigrant narratives still resonate among certain portions of the American public, most Americans do not view immigrants as a threat. Writing for the Associated Baptist Press, Jeff Brumley noted that the survey results show Republicans and white evangelicals are outliers when it comes to immigration.
The report also finds that the “great replacement” conspiracy theory is becoming more mainstream among the political right. Among Americans who agree that God intended America to be a new promised land for European Christians, the majority (55%) also agree with replacement theory, with distinct partisan differences: 70% of Republicans who believe that God intended America to be a new promised land also view immigrants as an invading force compared with 39% of Democrats. |
