Sixty-three percent of Americans disagree that the term “illegal immigrant” is offensive and 54% agree that people who use the term “undocumented person” to describe people in the United States without legal permission tend to prefer open borders.
WHY IT MATTERS
Polling shows that Americans are pro-immigrant, but they want legal immigration and oppose open borders. These results show most Americans won’t be pressured into accepting illegal immigration with politically correct language.
HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION
Advocates for border security can be confident they can use the term “illegal immigrant” to distinguish between legal and illegal immigration without alienating persuadable voters. They can also credibly accuse opponents who use the term “undocumented person” as advocating for open borders.
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More Say “Illegal Immigrant” is the Better Term
- 50% say the term “illegal immigrant” is better than “undocumented person” to describe foreign-born people in the United States without legal permission. This includes 72% of Republicans, 48% of independents, and 29% of Democrats.
- In addition to the partisan divides, there are differences by race and age. 55% of white voters prefer “illegal immigrant” compared to 46% of Hispanic voters and just 35% of black voters. 59% of Boomer and 54% of Gen X voters prefer “illegal immigrant” compared to 42% of Millennial and 31% of Gen Z voters.
- 62% of New Majority voters prefer the term “illegal immigrant” compared to just 22% of Left Minority voters.
More than 6-in-10 Disagree “Illegal Immigrant” is Offensive
- 63% of Americans disagree the term “illegal immigrant” is offensive when describing a foreign-born person in the United States without legal permission. This includes 79% of Republicans, 67% of independents, and 44% of Democrats.
- 68% of white, 59% of Hispanic, 58% of Millennial, 70% of Gen X, and 67% of Boomer voters disagree “illegal immigrant” is offensive.
- Democrat, black and Gen Z voters are the only groups that agree more than disagree that “illegal immigrant” is offensive.
- 73% of New Majority voters disagree “illegal immigrant” is offensive whereas 51% of Left Minority voters agree.
- 41% of respondents who say “undocumented person” is a better term disagree that “illegal immigrant” is offensive.
“Undocumented” = Open Borders
- 57% of Americans agree that people who use the term “undocumented person” to refer to foreign-born people in the United States without legal permission tend to prefer open borders. This includes a majority or plurality of all voter groups.