Poll: Arizonans see illegal immigration as major problem
Mar 6, 2015, 6:24 PM | Updated: 6:25 pm
PHOENIX — Most Arizonans see illegal immigration as a major issue in the state, according to the annual Morrison-Cronkite Quarterly Poll.
754 Arizona adults were surveyed about various statewide issues, from illegal immigration to marijuana legalization.
The poll, conducted by Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, revealed 64 percent of Arizonans agree that “undocumented immigrants are a problem, but Arizona needs to treat them humanely,” ASU News reported.
Many Arizonans were conflicted on the issue of the use of aggressive deportation. 52 percent of adults agreed with the statement, “Arizona should aggressively pursue the deportation of undocumented immigrants.”
Sixty-seven percent of Republicans agreed with statements encouraging aggressive deportation of undocumented immigrants, compared with just 35 percent of Democrats.
Just 28 percent of adults agreed with the statement, “I feel less safe because of all the undocumented immigrants living in the state.”
David Daugherty, associate director of Morrison Institute and director of the statewide poll, said there are several factors that contribute to Arizonans’ divide on the issue.
“Arizonans remain sharply divided on the issue of immigration, mostly according to their political party but perhaps surprisingly not much according to their ethnicity,” Daugherty said in the poll results.
