By Kacie Pounds
Florida residents are concerned about current economic conditions, and many feel that undocumented immigrant workers could decrease Floridians’ economic opportunities, as shown in recent research.
The UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education conducted an online survey of 507 Florida residents to provide a better understanding of their opinions about undocumented immigrants. The respondents matched the 2010 census data in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, age and education levels.
Almost 48 percent of the survey’s respondents strongly agreed with the statement “I am worried about the economic conditions in this country today.” More than half of respondents reported that they are worried about their personal job security.
The survey found that 73 percent of respondents in their twenties and over 60 percent of respondents, ages 30 to 49, are worried about their job security. Eighty-seven percent of respondents in their forties are worried about their financial situation, with 53 percent strongly agreeing that they are concerned about their financial situation.
PIE Center Director Traci Irani said that the survey showed that the economic downturn has likely affected public opinion on a lot of issues, including immigration. In the survey, 73 percent of respondents reported thinking that undocumented immigrants are a burden on the economy, compared to 27 percent who think they are an asset.
“There is that concern about how do undocumented immigrants fit and where do they fit in our culture and economy,” Irani said. “There are a lot of open questions in people’s minds about how does this play out over time.”
Respondents were asked how they felt their personal economic opportunity would change if immigration rates remained the same. Sixty percent felt they would have less, or a lot less economic opportunity, and 12 percent felt they would have more economic opportunity. Nearly 69 percent of Republican and 52 percent of Democrat respondents reported they felt they would have less or a lot less economic opportunity.
Although the survey showed that 42 percent of respondents felt that undocumented workers did not pay their fair share of taxes, a 2010 study by the Institute for Taxation and Economy Policy, undocumented immigrants in Florida paid $806.8 million in state and local taxes. The PIE Center survey defined undocumented immigrants as “foreign nationals residing in the U.S. without legal immigration status…resulting from someone entering the country without permission or remaining in the U.S. after a legal visa expires.”
“We need to do a better job of understanding what the economic impact of any kind of immigration is,” said Irani. “I think this is a prime example of the need for targeted education to raise the knowledge and awareness levels of members of the public around a specific issue that’s going to be affecting everybody.”
An immigration reform bill is currently before the Senate Judiciary Committee, with a Senate vote expected in early June.
