By Laura Gorham
Floridians differ in their opinions when it comes to their attitudes toward undocumented immigrants, according to recent research conducted by the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education.
Forty-four percent of respondents to the online survey did not think undocumented immigrants were a valuable human resource, compared to 28 percent of those who did. The 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.”
Researchers collected 507 responses from Florida residents who matched 2010 census date in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, age and education levels, with the intention of providing an overall understanding of public opinions about undocumented immigration.
PIE Center Director Tracy Irani said the survey showed public attitudes toward immigration are currently mixed, citing that while 58 percent of respondents felt that undocumented immigrants reduce good jobs for Americans, 42 percent think that undocumented immigrants fill jobs Americans don’t want.
“The majority of people in this survey also felt that the kinds of jobs that undocumented immigrants do are agricultural jobs, outdoor labor jobs, which would not necessarily be seen as good jobs,” Irani said.
Despite the negative opinions, 62 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that undocumented immigrants are willing to work hard.
While many survey respondents hold different opinions about undocumented immigrants as a valuable human resource, overall attitudes about discrimination against undocumented immigrants show both positive and negative opinions.
Thirty-nine percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that undocumented immigrants should not be discriminated against, while 34 percent disagree or strongly disagreed, and 27 percent were undecided.
Many participants reported that they had negative views towards undocumented immigrants.
For example, 46.6 percent agreed or strongly agreed that undocumented immigrants increase the crime rate.
Although respondents perceived that undocumented immigrants increase the crime rate, according to the Center for Immigration, most studies comparing crime rates and immigration levels across cities show no clear correlation between the immigrant share of a city’s population and its level of crime. In addition, 74 percent of undocumented immigrant arrests are due to immigration offenses.
“I think with each wave of immigration, if you look back in history, some of those things about threat to the culture, crime rate, you see talked about,” Irani said. “Those kinds of perceptions go along with introducing something new to the culture, something new to the society.”
Irani discussed the waves of immigration from Ireland and Europe and compared them to today’s conflicting views on undocumented immigration.
“Over time, people come from elsewhere, they become assimilated into the culture, and then they become part of that culture,” Irani said. “There is a lot of questioning about now that we have these undocumented immigrants, how are they going to fit into the culture?”
Participants in this study reinforced this idea, as 30 percent somewhat agreed that immigrants in general should try to fit into the American culture and its values. In addition, 48.2 percent strongly agreed that English should be the only official language in the U.S.
Nearly 70 percent of respondents reported that they often come into contact with immigrants, either undocumented or documented, who speak little or no English. More than 60 percent of respondents report that the lack of English skills bothers them.
Diverse opinions of Florida residents on undocumented immigrants as shown in this survey can provide opportunities to inform and educate the public, Irani said.
“I think the results of our study show that there are a lot of knowledge gaps here,” Irani said. “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 is going to be affecting everybody.”
The PIE Center will conduct public opinion trend surveys each year that focus on key issues in Florida, such as water quantity and quality, immigration, endangered species and food production. The surveys will repeat annually to track changes in public opinion over time.
