New Poll Shows Californians Strongly Favor Legal Status for Undocumented or Illegal Immigrants

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Term Limits Would Pass Overwhelmingly if Election Were Today; Schwarzenegger Approval Rating Remains High

By Frank D. Russo

The respected Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State University earlier today released a poll showing that voter support for term limits has increased since March, at least when voters are read the official title and summary that has been prepared for the ballot. The survey also shows strong support for a path to legalized residency status for immigrants here illegally, and that Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to be popular with the residents and voters in California.

Legal Residency for Illegal Immigrants

A full 57% of California adults favor allowing undocumented or illegal immigrants who are living or working in the state to become legal residents. Only 33% oppose this. The results, when limited to California voters are similar with 55% in favor and 36% opposed. The results based on phone contacts between June 18 and 22 are in accord with prior findings in polls taken by SRPI quarterly since March of 2006. Since then, support for legalization has hovered between 50% and 63% with opposition to the idea trailing far behind.

The exact question posed to voters and California adults was: “In your opinion, should undocumented or illegal immigrants living or working here be allowed to become legal residents of California?”

Looking at the crosstabs, even with smaller sample sizes of the subgroups, there is support amongst wide swaths of Californians with the exception of rural Californians who are opposed 35% to 54%, Republicans by a narrow margin (45% to 48%) and conservatives who are opposed 39% to 54%. Independents, by which the poll presumably means decline-to-state voters and those registered with minor parties are split, 47% in favor and 45% opposed. But in all other areas of the state, the margins of support are strong, with the lowest in the conservative “other Southern California” which is still in support 50% to 41%. The numbers go up from there.