q112/random_k2/random_1.md

FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

Trump and Harris
Supporters Differ on
Mass Deportations but
Favor Border Security,
High-Skilled Immigration

Majority of Trump backers say more immigrants would make life
worse for people like them; most Harris backers say life wouldn’t
change

BY Sahana Mukherjee and Jens Manuel Krogstad

FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:

Sahana Mukherjee, Associate Director, Race and Ethnicity Research
Jens Manuel Krogstad, Senior Writer and Editor
Tanya Arditi, Senior Communications Manager

202.419.4372

www.pewresearch.org

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Pew Research Center, September 2024, “Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security,
High-Skilled Immigration”

1

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

About Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the
issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center
conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and
other data-driven research. It studies politics and policy; news habits and media; the internet and
technology; religion; race and ethnicity; international affairs; social, demographic and economic
trends; science; research methodology and data science; and immigration and migration. Pew
Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

© Pew Research Center 2024

www.pewresearch.org

2

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

How we did this

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ views on immigration and
immigration policy prior to the 2024 presidential election.

For this analysis, we surveyed 9,201 adults – including 7,569 registered voters – from Aug. 5 to 11,
2024. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel
(ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses
who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a
chance of selection. Surveys were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer.
The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity,
partisan affiliation, education and other factors. Read more about the ATP’s methodology.

Here are the questions used for the report, the topline, and its methodology.

www.pewresearch.org

3

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Terminology

Harris supporters are respondents who said they would vote for Kamala Harris, the Democrat,
if the 2024 presidential election were held today, or those who said they would not vote for any of
the candidates but lean toward Harris. Trump supporters are respondents who said they would
vote for Donald Trump, the Republican, if the 2024 presidential election were held today, or those
who said they would not vote for any of the candidates but lean toward Trump.

www.pewresearch.org

4

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass
Deportations but Favor Border Security,
High-Skilled Immigration
Majority of Trump
backers say more
immigrants would
make life worse for
people like them; most
Harris backers say
life wouldn’t change

Trump and Harris supporters sharply divided on mass
deportations and undocumented immigrants but more
aligned on border security, high-skilled immigration

% of registered voters who strongly or somewhat favor each of the
following U.S. immigration policies

In a presidential race where
immigration has become a key
and contentious issue, a Pew
Research Center survey shows
wide differences and common
ground on immigration policy
among registered voters who
support Donald Trump and
Kamala Harris.

The candidates have taken
sometimes sharply different
positions on immigration issues
that divide their supporters:

  Nearly nine-in-ten Trump

supporters (88%) favor mass
deportations of immigrants
living in the country illegally.
In contrast, only 27% of
Harris supporters favor
mass deportations while
72% oppose.

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t offer an answer not
shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security, High-
Skilled Immigration”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

5

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

  More than a third of Trump supporters (37%) favor allowing undocumented immigrants to live
and work in the U.S. if they are married to an American citizen, compared with 80% of Harris
supporters who say the same.

  About half of Trump supporters (49%) support admitting more civilian refugees who are

escaping war or violence, but a majority of Harris supporters (85%) say the same.

On other immigration issues, Trump and Harris supporters share more common ground:



Improving border security is supported by large majorities of both Trump supporters (96%)
and Harris supporters (80%).

  Admitting more high-skilled immigrants is favored by 71% of Trump supporters and 87% of

Harris supporters.

These findings come from a bilingual, nationally representative survey of 9,201 adults – including
7,569 registered voters – conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024, ahead of the Democratic National Convention
and about a month before the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

The U.S. immigrant population has grown sharply over the decades, from 9.6 million in 1970 to
31.1 million in 2000 and almost 48 million in 2023. These totals account for immigrants in the
country both legally and illegally.

Immigrants make up about 14.3% of the nation’s population, a near-record high. They are
dispersed across all states and metro areas. And nearly three-quarters of registered voters say they
know someone who was born outside of the United States, according to the survey.

www.pewresearch.org

6

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Trump supporters have a more negative view than Harris supporters on the impact
of immigrants on their lives. A majority of Trump supporters (59%) say that the increasing
number of immigrants will make things worse for people like them. But a majority of Harris
supporters (65%) say that the increasing number of immigrants will make no difference in their
lives, with only 11% saying it will make life worse for people like them.

Trump supporters have a mixed view about the impact of legal immigration on the
country. A majority say immigrants living in the country legally either make the economy better
(31%) or don’t have much of an effect on it (38%), while 29% say these immigrants make the
economy worse. By contrast, a clear majority of Harris supporters (62%) say immigrants living in
the U.S. legally make the economy better.

Trump supporters have a much more negative view of the impact of illegal
immigration. An
overwhelming majority of
Trump supporters (92%) say
immigrants living in the
country illegally make crime
worse, compared with 37% of
Harris supporters.

A majority of Trump supporters say the growing
number of immigrants in the U.S. will make life worse;
most Harris supporters say life would not change

% of registered voters who say they think the increasing number of
immigrants in the United States will make life ___ for people like them

No different

Better

Worse

All registered voters

34

13

51

4

36

59

Harris supporters

Trump supporters

Notably, American voters have
become less likely than in
recent years to say
undocumented immigrants
should be allowed to stay in
the country. About six-in-ten
U.S. registered voters (59%) in
the new survey say
undocumented immigrants
should be allowed to stay in
the country legally if certain
requirements are met, down from 77% who said the same in 2017. Most Harris supporters
(87%) say that there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the
country legally, compared with only a third of Trump supporters (33%).

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t offer an answer not
shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security, High-
Skilled Immigration”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

11

23

65

In the 2024 presidential race, Trump supporters place far more importance on
immigration than Harris supporters. For Trump supporters, 82% say immigration is very

www.pewresearch.org

7

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

important to their vote in the 2024 presidential election, trailing only the economy in importance,
according to a Center survey conducted in late August to early September. By contrast, just 39% of
Harris supporters say the issue of immigration is very important to their presidential vote this
year, behind all other issues asked about in the survey, including health care, Supreme Court
appointments, the economy, abortion, gun policy and climate change.

Immigration to U.S. has rebounded from pandemic-era lows

Legal immigration to the U.S. has started to increase after a steep decline during the COVID-19
outbreak, according to Center analysis of data from the Department of Homeland Security. In
2023, about 1.1 million immigrants became lawful permanent residents of the U.S., a return to
pre-pandemic levels.

In addition, a record number of immigrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization
at the end of 2023, though these flows have since dropped sharply. Both Republicans and
Democrats have been critical of the way the government has handled the situation at the U.S.
Mexico border.

Overall, confidence in the Biden administration’s handling of immigration has declined among
both Republicans and Democrats. In July, 35% of American voters had confidence in Joe Biden to
make wise decisions about immigration. By September, more voters had confidence in Trump
(52%) on this issue than in Harris (45%) – though confidence in Harris is higher than it was in
Biden.

www.pewresearch.org

8

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on government control over illegal and legal immigration

In the new survey, two-thirds of Trump supporters (66%) say the U.S. government has little or no
control over immigrants entering the country illegally, while fewer than half (40%) of Harris
supporters say the same.

By contrast, about half of
both Trump (49%) and
Harris (51%) supporters say
the federal government has
complete or almost
complete control over
immigrants entering
country legally. Somewhat
similar shares of Trump and
Harris supporters (30% and
37%, respectively) say the
government has a moderate
degree of control over legal
immigration.

Overall, 33% of Trump
supporters say the
government has at least a
moderate degree of control
over legal immigration,
compared with 59% of
Harris supporters.

Trump and Harris supporters are divided over whether the
U.S. government has control of illegal immigration;
majorities say legal immigration is under control

% of registered voters who say the U.S. government has ___ over the number of
immigrants who ...

Enter the country illegally

Enter the country legally

79

25

24

30

13
7

21

88

20

31

37

9

2

11

59
3

7

49

33

7
40

Complete control

Almost
complete control

A moderate
degree of control

Little control

No control

NET
33

10
11

12

27

39

66

Trump
supporters

Harris
supporters

Trump
supporters

Harris
supporters

Despite agreement over the
government’s control of
legal immigration, about
three-quarters of both
Trump (74%) and
Harris (76%)
supporters say the U.S. immigration system needs major changes or needs to be
completely rebuilt.

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t offer an answer not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security, High-Skilled
Immigration”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

9

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Views on the level of illegal and legal immigration into the U.S.

Trump supporters
express far higher
levels of concern than
Harris supporters
about illegal
immigration. Most
Trump supporters (87%)
say they are very or
extremely concerned about
the number of immigrants
entering the country
illegally, while about a
quarter of Harris
supporters (27%) say the
same.

Most Trump supporters are deeply concerned about the
number of immigrants entering the country illegally; fewer
than a third of Harris supporters say the same

% of registered voters who say they are ___ concerned about the number of
immigrants entering the country illegally

Extremely

Very

Somewhat

Not
too

Not
at all

38

18

NET 56

23

14

6

20

69

18

87

9

3

All registered
voters

Trump
supporters

Harris
supporters

10

17

27

36

27

10

37

Note: Based on registered voters. Subtotals may not add to NETs due to rounding. Responses with
a share less than 3% shown but not labeled. Share of respondents who didn’t offer an answer not
shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security, High-Skilled
Immigration”

Just over a third of Harris
supporters say they are
somewhat concerned (36%)
about this, while a similar
share (37%) say they are
not concerned about the number of immigrants entering the country illegally.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

10

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Trump and Harris
supporters are less
divided on the levels of
legal immigration into the
U.S. Nearly half of both
Trump and Harris supporters
say legal immigration should
be kept at its present level –
48% and 44%, respectively.

About half of Trump and Harris supporters say legal
immigration into the U.S. should stay at present levels

% of registered voters who say legal immigration into the United States
should be …

Decreased

Kept at its
present level

Increased

All registered voters

23

Trump supporters

33

46

48

29

17

44

12

Harris supporters

But support differs when it
comes to changing the level of
legal immigration into the U.S.
A third of Trump supporters
(33%) favor decreased legal
immigration, and smaller
shares (17%) say it should be
increased. Meanwhile, about
four-in-ten Harris supporters
(42%) favor increased legal immigration, with smaller shares favoring decreased immigration
levels.

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t offer an answer not
shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security, High-
Skilled Immigration”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

42

How do registered voters view the impact of immigrants on U.S. society?

About three-quarters of U.S. immigrants are here legally, and about a quarter are unauthorized
immigrants.

Registered voters draw a distinction between immigrants living in the country illegally and legally
when it comes to the impact immigrants have on society. For example, a majority of registered
voters say that immigrants living in the country illegally have negative impacts on public resources
(70%) and on crime (64%). By contrast, nearly half of voters say that immigrants living in the
country legally have a positive impact on U.S. economy.1

1 Studies show immigrants in the U.S. do not increase crime and have a positive impact on the economy by filling gaps in the labor force.

www.pewresearch.org

11

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Most Trump supporters say immigrants living in the
country illegally worsen crime and the economy, but
far fewer Harris supporters hold these views

% of registered voters who say that immigrants living in the country
illegally are ___on each area

Making things worse Not having much effect Making things better

All registered voters

70

23

Public resources*

Trump supporters

Harris supporters

All registered voters

Trump supporters

Harris supporters

49

Crime
64

92

92

40

31

37

56

The U.S. economy

6

5

3

9

3

6

1

4

All registered voters

56

21

21

Trump supporters

Harris supporters

28

85

32

9

5

38

All registered voters

47

35

16

Social and cultural values

Trump supporters

Harris supporters

20

76

51

Science and technological innovation

All registered voters

25

61

Trump supporters

43

52

Harris supporters

9

69

5

18

27

12

4

19

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t offer an answer not
shown. Full wording for “Public resources” was “Public resources (such as housing,
education, health care, etc.).”
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security, High-
Skilled Immigration”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The impact of immigrants
living in the country illegally

Majorities of Trump
supporters say immigrants
living in the country illegally
make things worse when it
comes to crime (92%), public
resources like housing,
education or health care
(92%), the U.S. economy
(85%) and social and cultural
values (76%).

Harris supporters have a
mix of positive and
negative views about the
impact of immigrants
living in the country
illegally.

  56% of Harris supporters
say immigrants living in
the country illegally don’t
have much effect on crime,
with 37% saying they make
things worse.

  38% of Harris supporters
say immigrants in the
country illegally make
things better for the U.S.
economy, while 32% say
they don’t have much of an
effect and 28% say they
make things worse.

  49% say immigrants living
in the country illegally

www.pewresearch.org

12

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

make things worse when it comes to public resources, while 40% say they don’t have much an
effect.

Should immigrants living in the country
illegally be eligible for public assistance?

Unauthorized immigrants are ineligible for
most federally funded public benefits. And
immigrant eligibility for public assistance
differs across state and local levels. For
example, California offers financial aid to
unauthorized immigrant students, while
Minnesota will soon allow unauthorized
immigrants to access health insurance coverage
offered to low-income residents.

Survey findings show that a majority (81%) of
voters say immigrants who are living in the U.S.
illegally should not be eligible for public
assistance.

Most Trump and Harris backers say
immigrants in the U.S. illegally shouldn’t
be eligible for public assistance

% of registered voters who say immigrants who are
living in the U.S. illegally ___ be eligible for public
assistance provided by state and local governments

Should not

Should

All registered voters

81

Trump supporters

96

18

4

Harris supporters

68

31

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t
offer an answer not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but
Favor Border Security, High-Skilled Immigration”

Nearly all Trump supporters (96%) say
immigrants living in the country illegally should
not be eligible for public assistance from state
and local governments. A majority of Harris supporters (68%) say the same, while nearly a third
(31%) say immigrants living in the country illegally should be eligible for public assistance.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

13

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The impact of immigrants
living in the country legally

Harris supporters are more
likely than Trump supporters
to say immigrants living in the
country legally improve the
U.S. economy, science and
technological innovation, and
social and cultural values.

  62% of Harris supporters

say immigrants living in
the country legally make
things better for the U.S.
economy, compared with
31% of Trump supporters.
  57% of Harris supporters
say immigrants living in
the country legally make
things better for science
and technological
innovation, compared with
33% of Trump supporters.

Notably, a majority of
registered voters (62%) say
immigrants living in the
country legally do not have
much effect on crime, with
71% of Harris supporters and
53% of Trump supporters
saying so. Still, 36% of Trump
supporters say legal
immigrants make crime worse.

Majority of Trump and Harris supporters say legal
immigrants have little impact on crime

% of registered voters who say that immigrants living in the country legally
are ___on each area

Making things worse Not having much effect Making things better

The U.S. economy

All registered voters

19

33

Trump supporters

29

38

Harris supporters

9

27

62

Science and technological innovation

All registered voters

7

46

Trump supporters

10

55

Harris supporters

3

37

57

47

31

45

33

Social and cultural values

All registered voters

18

45

Trump supporters

29

48

36

21

Harris supporters

7

42

49

All registered voters

31

47

Public resources*

Trump supporters

43

42

Harris supporters

19

52

Crime

All registered voters

24

Trump supporters

36

62

53

Harris supporters

14

71

21

13

27

12

10

13

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t offer an answer not
shown. Full wording for “Public resources” was “Public resources (such as housing,
education, health care, etc.).”
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but Favor Border Security, High-
Skilled Immigration”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

14

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Sizable shares of Trump supporters (42%) and Harris supporters (52%) say immigrants living in
the country legally do not have much effect on
public resources such as housing, education or
health care.

Should immigrants living in the country
legally be eligible for public assistance?

Notably, majorities of both Trump (69%) and
Harris (89%) supporters say legal immigrants
should be eligible for public assistance by state
and local governments, reflecting their
markedly different views on immigrants living
in the country legally and those in the country
illegally.

Most Trump and Harris backers say
immigrants in the U.S. legally should be
eligible for public assistance

% of registered voters who say immigrants who are
living in the U.S. legally ___ be eligible for public
assistance provided by state and local governments

Should not

Should

All registered voters

20

Trump supporters

30

79

69

Harris supporters

10

89

Note: Based on registered voters. Share of respondents who didn’t
offer an answer not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 5-11, 2024.
“Trump and Harris Supporters Differ on Mass Deportations but
Favor Border Security, High-Skilled Immigration”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

15

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Acknowledgments

This report was written by Sahana Mukherjee, associate director, race and ethnicity research, and
Jens Manuel Krogstad, senior writer/editor.

Editorial guidance for the report was provided by Mark Hugo Lopez, director, race and ethnicity
research. Jeffrey Passel, senior demographer; Juliana Horowitz, senior associate director, social
trends research; Jocelyn Kiley, senior associate director, political research; John Gramlich,
associate director, short reads; and Claudia Deane, executive vice president, provided editorial
advice on the report.

Methodological guidance was provided by Andrew Mercer, principal methodologist; Dorene
Asare-Marfo, senior panel manager; Dana Popky, associate panel manager; and Arnold Lau,
research methodologist. Guidance on the communications strategy and outreach was provided by
Tanya Arditi, senior communications manager, with support from Andrew Grant, communications
associate.

The report was number-checked by Gracie Martinez, research assistant. Carolyne Im, research
analyst, Alexandra Cahn, research assistant, Luis Noe-Bustamente, research associate, and Ziyao
Tian, research associate, provided research and editorial support. Sara Atske, digital producer,
produced the report. David Kent, senior copy editor, copy edited the report. Charts were designed
by Cahn, Im and information graphics designer John Carlo Mandapat.

Find related reports online at https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/immigration-migration/

www.pewresearch.org

16

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Methodology

The American Trends Panel survey methodology

Overview

Data in this report comes from Wave 151 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research
Center’s nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was
conducted from Aug. 5 to Aug. 11, 2024. A total of 9,201 panelists responded out of 10,079 who
were sampled, for a survey-level response rate of 91%.

The cumulative response rate accounting for nonresponse to the recruitment surveys and attrition
is 3%. The break-off rate among panelists who logged on to the survey and completed at least one
item is 1%. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 9,201 respondents is plus or minus
1.3 percentage points.

SSRS conducted the survey for Pew Research Center via online (n=8,935) and live telephone
(n=266) interviewing. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish.

To learn more about the ATP, read “About the American Trends Panel.”

Panel recruitment

Since 2018, the ATP has used address-based sampling (ABS) for recruitment. A study cover letter
and a pre-incentive are mailed to a stratified, random sample of households selected from the U.S.
Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence File. This Postal Service file has been estimated
to cover 90% to 98% of the population.2 Within each sampled household, the adult with the next
birthday is selected to participate. Other details of the ABS recruitment protocol have changed
over time but are available upon request.3 Prior to 2018, the ATP was recruited using landline and
cellphone random-digit-dial surveys administered in English and Spanish.

A national sample of U.S. adults has been recruited to the ATP approximately once per year since
2014. In some years, the recruitment has included additional efforts (known as an “oversample”)
to improve the accuracy of data for underrepresented groups. For example, Hispanic adults, Black
adults and Asian adults were oversampled in 2019, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

2 AAPOR Task Force on Address-based Sampling. 2016. “AAPOR Report: Address-based Sampling.”
3 Email pewsurveys@pewresearch.org.

www.pewresearch.org

17

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Sample design

The overall target population for this survey was noninstitutionalized persons ages 18 and older
living in the United States. All active panel members were invited to participate in this wave.

Questionnaire development and testing

The questionnaire was developed by Pew Research Center in consultation with SSRS. The web
program used for online respondents was rigorously tested on both PC and mobile devices by the
SSRS project team and Pew Research Center researchers. The SSRS project team also populated
test data that was analyzed in SPSS to ensure the logic and randomizations were working as
intended before launching the survey.

Incentives

All respondents were offered a post-paid incentive for their participation. Respondents could
choose to receive the post-paid incentive in the form of a check or gift code to Amazon.com.
Incentive amounts ranged from $5 to $20 depending on whether the respondent belongs to a part
of the population that is harder or easier to reach. Differential incentive amounts were designed to
increase panel survey participation among groups that traditionally have low survey response
propensities.

Data collection protocol

The data collection field period for this survey was Aug. 5 to Aug. 11, 2024. Surveys were
conducted via self-administered web survey or by live telephone interviewing.

For panelists who take surveys online:4 Postcard notifications were mailed to a subset on
Aug. 5.5 Survey invitations were sent out in two separate launches: soft launch and full launch.
Sixty panelists were included in the soft launch, which began with an initial invitation sent on Aug.
5. All remaining English- and Spanish-speaking sampled online panelists were included in the full
launch and were sent an invitation on Aug. 6.

4 The ATP does not use routers or chains in any part of its online data collection protocol, nor are they used to direct respondents to additional
surveys.
5 Postcard notifications for web panelists are sent to 1) panelists who were recruited within the last two years and 2) panelists recruited prior
to the last two years who opt to continue receiving postcard notifications.

www.pewresearch.org

18

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Invitation and reminder dates for web respondents,
ATP Wave 151

Soft launch

Aug. 5, 2024

Aug. 8, 2024

Aug. 10, 2024

Full launch

Aug. 6, 2024

Aug. 8, 2024

Aug. 10, 2024

Initial invitation

First reminder

Final reminder

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Panelists participating online were sent an email invitation and up to two email reminders if they
did not respond to the survey. ATP panelists who consented to SMS messages were sent an SMS
invitation with a link to the survey and up to two SMS reminders.

For panelists who take surveys over the phone with a live interviewer: Prenotification
postcards were mailed on July 31, and reminder postcards were mailed on Aug. 5. The CATI soft
launch took place on Aug. 5 and involved dialing until a total of three interviews had been
completed. CATI panelists receive up to six calls from trained SSRS interviewers. All remaining
English- and Spanish-speaking sampled CATI panelist numbers were dialed throughout the
remaining field period.

Data quality checks

To ensure high-quality data, Center researchers performed data quality checks to identify any
respondents showing patterns of satisficing. This includes checking for whether respondents left
questions blank at very high rates or always selected the first or last answer presented. As a result
of this checking, four ATP respondents were removed from the survey dataset prior to weighting
and analysis.

Weighting

The ATP data is weighted in a process that accounts for multiple stages of sampling and
nonresponse that occur at different points in the panel survey process. First, each panelist begins
with a base weight that reflects their probability of recruitment into the panel. These weights are
then calibrated to align with the population benchmarks in the accompanying table to correct for
nonresponse to recruitment surveys and panel attrition. If only a subsample of panelists was
invited to participate in the wave, this weight is adjusted to account for any differential
probabilities of selection.

www.pewresearch.org

19

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Among the panelists who completed the survey, this weight is then calibrated again to align with
the population benchmarks identified in the accompanying table. The weight is then trimmed at
approximately the 1st and 99th percentiles to reduce the loss in precision stemming from variance
in the weights. Sampling errors and tests of statistical significance take into account the effect of
weighting.

American Trends Panel weighting dimensions

Variable
Age (detailed)
Age x Gender
Education x Gender
Education x Age
Race/Ethnicity x Education
Race/Ethnicity x Gender
Black (alone or in combination) x Hispanic
Born inside vs. outside the U.S. among
Hispanics and Asian Americans
Years lived in the U.S.
Census region x Metropolitan status

Volunteerism

Party affiliation x Voter registration

Benchmark source

2022 American Community Survey
(ACS)

2021 CPS Volunteering & Civic Life
Supplement
2020 CPS Voting and Registration
Supplement

Party affiliation x Race/Ethnicity
Frequency of internet use
Religious affiliation
Note: Estimates from the ACS are based on noninstitutionalized adults. Voter registration is
calculated using procedures from Hur, Achen (2013) and rescaled to include the total U.S.
adult population.

2024 National Public Opinion
Reference Survey (NPORS)

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The following table shows the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling that
would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey.

Sample sizes and margins of error, ATP Wave 151

Group
Total sample

All registered voters

Harris supporters

Trump supporters

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Unweighted
sample size
9,201

7,569

3,823

3,234

Plus or minus …
1.3 percentage points

1.4 percentage points

2.0 percentage points

2.1 percentage points

www.pewresearch.org

20

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Sample sizes and sampling errors for other subgroups are available upon request. In addition to
sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.

www.pewresearch.org

21

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Dispositions and response rates

Final dispositions, ATP Wave 151

Completed interview

Logged in (web) / Contacted (CATI), but did not complete any items

Started survey; broke off before completion

Never logged on (web) / Never reached on phone (CATI)

Survey completed after close of the field period

Other non-interview

Completed interview but was removed for data quality

Total panelists sampled for the survey

Completed interviews

Partial interviews

Refusals

Non-contact

Other

Unknown household

Unknown other

Not eligible

Total

AAPOR RR1 = I / (I+P+R+NC+O+UH+UO)

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Cumulative response rate, ATP Wave 151

Weighted response rate to recruitment surveys

% of recruitment survey respondents who agreed to join the
panel, among those invited
% of those agreeing to join who were active panelists at start of
Wave 151

Response rate to Wave 151 survey

Cumulative response rate

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

© Pew Research Center 2024

www.pewresearch.org

Total

9,201

160

139

575

0

0

4

10,079

9,201

0

299

575

4

0

0

0

10,079

91%

AAPOR code

1.1

2.11

2.12

2.20

2.27

2.30

2.90

I

P

R

NC

O

UH

UO

NE

Total

11%

73%

40%

91%

3%

22

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Topline

2024 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL
WAVE 151 AUGUST 2024
FINAL TOPLINE
August 5–11, 2024
TOTAL N=9,201

Note: Registered voters include adults who report being absolutely certain they are registered at
their current address. Trump/Lean Trump are those who said if the 2024 presidential election
“were held today” they would vote for Donald Trump, the Republican, or lean more toward Donald
Trump. Harris/Lean Harris are those who said they would vote for Kamala Harris, the Democrat, or
lean more toward Harris.

All numbers are percentages unless otherwise noted. Percentages greater than zero but less than
0.5% are replaced by an asterisk (*). A hyphen (-) indicates that the sample size for a given
subgroup is too small to report for that question or that the responses for a given subgroup are not
displayed. Rows/columns may not total 100% or to NETs due to rounding. The questions presented
below are part of a larger survey conducted on the American Trends Panel.

“No answer” includes web respondents who do not answer the question as well as telephone
respondents who refuse to answer or who say they don’t know how to answer. In cases where “not
sure” was offered as an explicit option to web and telephone respondents, the “no answer”
category includes only web skips and telephone refusals.

This survey was conducted primarily online, with some interviews conducted by live telephone.
This topline shows the programming language for online administration. For details on how
questions were slightly modified for phone administration, refer to the questionnaire.

American Trends Panel surveys conducted between October 2016 and June 2024 were conducted
fully online (with tablets and data plans provided to adults without home internet). American
Trends Panel surveys conducted prior to October 2016 were conducted primarily online, with some
respondents completing by mail. For additional details, visit the methodology.

PN = Programming note

All U.S. adults
Registered voters
   NET Trump/Lean Trump
   NET Harris/Lean Harris

Sample size
9,201
7,569
3,234
3,823

Margin of error at 95%
confidence level
+/- 1.3 percentage points
+/- 1.4 percentage points
+/- 2.1 percentage points
+/- 2.0 percentage points

www.pewresearch.org

23

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE OR PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

If the 2024 presidential election were being held today, would you vote for… [ PN:

VOTEGEN24/VOTEGEN24_LEAN COMBO TABLE
ASK IF CITIZEN (X_CITIZEN=1) [n=8,880]:
VOTEGEN24
RANDOMIZE OPTIONS 1 AND 2 WITH OPTIONS 3 AND 4 ALWAYS LAST ]
ASK IF NONE/OTHER CANDIDATE OR SKIPPED VOTEGEN24 (VOTEGEN24=4 OR 99) [n=896]:
VOTEGEN24_LEAN
[ PN: ONLY DISPLAY OPTION 4 “None/Other” IF VOTEGEN24_LEAN IS INITIALLY SKIPPED. ALSO
DISPLAY SOFT PROMPT: If you would not support any of the candidates, please select answer choice
None/Other. If you would like to skip, click Next… ]

As of today do you… [ PN: SHOW OPTIONS IN SAME ORDER AS VOTEGEN24 ]

BASED ON THOSE WHO SAY THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THEY ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE
(F_REG=1) [n=7,569]:6

All U.S. registered voters
45

46

 7

 1
 *
n=7,569

NET Donald Trump, the Republican/Lean more toward
Trump
NET Kamala Harris, the Democrat/Lean more toward
Harris
NET Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a third-party
candidate/Lean more toward Kennedy Jr.
Lean toward none/Other
No answer

U.S. ADULT REGISTERED VOTER TREND FOR COMPARISON:

BASED ON REGISTERED VOTERS:

Donald Trump, the Republican/Lean more toward Trump
Joe Biden, the Democrat/Lean more toward Biden
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a third-party candidate/Lean more
toward Kennedy Jr.
None/Other
No answer

Donald Trump, the Republican/Lean more toward Trump
Joe Biden, the Democrat/Lean more toward Biden
Vote for neither/Other
No answer

Jul 1-7,
2024
44
40
15

 2
 *

Apr 8-14,
2024
49
48
 2
 1

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE OR PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

6 Question was asked of all U.S. citizen adults but shown only among those who say they are absolutely certain they are registered to vote.

www.pewresearch.org

24

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ST_2
ASK ALL:
[ PN: ROTATE OPTIONS 1-4/4-1 HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST ]

In your view, do you think the immigration system in this country…

All U.S. adults

 3
20
75

   54
   21
2

Requires no changes
Requires only minor changes
NET Requires major
changes/ Needs to be
completely rebuilt
   Requires major changes
   Needs to be completely rebuilt
No answer

ALL U.S. ADULT TREND FOR COMPARISON:7

Registered
voters
 3
20
75

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
 5
19
74

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
 1
21
76

   55
   20
 1

   49
   25
 1

   60
   16
 1

Mar 10-Apr 6, 2015

Works pretty well
and requires only
minor changes
16

Needs
major
changes
54

Needs to be
completely
rebuilt
28

No answer
2

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

[ PN: RANDOMIZE ORDER OF LGIMMCTRL and ILIMMCTRL ]
LGIMMCTRL
ASK ALL:
[ PN: ROTATE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1, HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST ]

How much control do you think the U.S. government has over the number of immigrants who enter
the country legally?

All U.S. adults

48

   21
   27
33
17
   12
     5
  1

NET Complete control/Almost
complete control
   Complete control
   Almost complete control
A moderate degree of control
NET Little control/No control
   Little control
   No control
No answer

Registered
voters
50

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
49

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
51

   22
   27
33
16
   11
     5
  1

   25
   24
30
21
   13
     7
  1

   20
   31
37
11
     9
      2
  1

7 In 2015, the question read, “As far as you know, do you think the immigration system in this country…” and had the response options,
“Works pretty well and requires only minor changes,” “Needs major changes” and “Needs to be completely rebuilt.”

www.pewresearch.org

25

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

[ PN: RANDOMIZE ORDER OF LGIMMCTRL and ILIMMCTRL ]
ILIMMCTRL
ASK ALL:
[ PN: ROTATE OPTIONS IN SAME ORDER AS LGIMMCTRL]

How much control do you think the U.S. government has over the number of immigrants who enter
the country illegally?

All U.S. adults

16

   6
   9
31
52
   31
   21
 1

NET Complete control/Almost
complete control
   Complete control
   Almost complete control
A moderate degree of control
NET Little control/No control
   Little control
   No control
No answer

Registered
voters
15

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
21

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
10

    6
    9
30
53
   30
   23
 1

    10
   11
12
66
   27
   39
 1

    3
   7
49
40
   33
   7
 1

IMMCRN
ASK ALL:
[ PN: ROTATE OPTIONS IN SAME ORDER AS MEDESC_TYP ]

How concerned are you about the number of immigrants entering the country illegally?

All U.S. adults

52
   33
   19
25
22
   16
    7
 1

NET Extremely/Very concerned
   Extremely concerned
   Very concerned
Somewhat concerned
NET Not too/Not at all concerned
   Not too concerned
   Not at all concerned
No answer

Registered
voters
56
   38
   18
23
20
   14
    6
 1

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
87
   69
   18
9
3
   2
   1
 1

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
27
   10
   17
36
37
   27
   10
 1

www.pewresearch.org

26

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

IMMSUPPORT
ASK ALL:
[ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS; ROTATE OPTIONS 1-4/4-1, HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST ]

How much would you favor or oppose each of the following U.S. immigration policies?

All U.S. adults

Registered
voters

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris

Improving security along the country’s borders
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor

Strongly favor
Somewhat favor

NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose

Strongly oppose
Somewhat oppose

No answer

88
   62
   26
11
   3
   8
1

96
   89
   7
3
   2
   2
*

Admitting more civilian refugees from countries where people are trying to escape
violence and war
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor

Strongly favor
Somewhat favor

NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose
     Strongly oppose

Somewhat oppose

No answer

Legally admitting more high-skilled immigrants
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor

Strongly favor
Somewhat favor

NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose
    Strongly oppose

Somewhat oppose

No answer

Strongly favor
Somewhat favor

NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose

Strongly oppose
Somewhat oppose

No answer

67
  22
  45
32
  11
  21
1

51
  17
  34
47
  25
  23
2

79
  31
  48
20
  7
  13
2

71
  22
  50
27
  11
  16
2

49
  6
  43
50
  19
  31
1

29
  7
  23
69
  43
  26
1

Legally admitting immigrants from all over the world to ensure the nation’s immigrant population is
diverse
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor

Legally admitting immigrants who can fill labor shortages
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor
    Strongly favor
    Somewhat favor
NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose
    Strongly oppose
    Somewhat oppose
No answer

69
  25
  44
29
  11
  18
2

70
  25
  45
29
  11
  17
1

55
  10
  45
45
  20
  25
1

86
  39
  47
13
  4
  9
1

www.pewresearch.org

BRDER

REF

SKILL

DIV

LABOR

80
   37
   44
18
   5
   14
1

85
  38
  47
14
  3
  11
1

87
  40
  46
12
  3
  9
1

72
  27
  45
26
  8
  18
2

86
   58
   28
13
   4
   9
1

67
  23
  44
31
  10
  21
2

78
  32
  46
20
  7
  14
2

52
  17
  35
46
  22
  24
2

27

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

IMMSUPPORT CONTINUED…

DEPORT

STUD

MARRY

Enforcing mass deportations of immigrants living in the country illegally
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor
    Strongly favor
    Somewhat favor
NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose
    Strongly oppose
    Somewhat oppose
No answer

56
  33
  23
42
  22
  21
1

54
  30
  24
44
  21
  23
2

88
  61
  26
11
  3
  8
1

27
  7
  19
72
  41
  32
1

Allowing international students who receive a college degree in the U.S. to legally work and stay in
the country
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor
    Strongly favor
    Somewhat favor
NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose
    Strongly oppose
    Somewhat oppose
No answer

77
  31
  46
22
  7
  16
1

77
  33
  44
21
  6
  15
1

63
  13
  50
36
  11
  25
1

89
  47
  42
10
  3
  7
1

Allowing undocumented immigrants to legally work and stay in the country if they are married
to a U.S. citizen
NET Strongly/Somewhat favor
    Strongly favor
    Somewhat favor
NET Strongly/Somewhat oppose
    Strongly oppose
    Somewhat oppose
No answer

58
  22
  36
41
  18
  22
1

60
  23
  37
39
  17
  22
1

37
  6
  30
63
  32
  31
1

80
  38
  42
19
  5
  14
1

LGLSTATUS
ASK ALL:
[ PN: ROTATE OPTIONS 1-2/2-1, HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST ]

Which comes closer to your view about how to handle undocumented immigrants who are now living
in the U.S.?

All U.S. adults

35

64

 1

They should not be allowed to stay in
the country legally
There should be a way for them to stay
in the country legally, if certain
requirements are met
No answer

Registered
voters
38

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
66

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
12

61

 1

33

 1

87

 1

www.pewresearch.org

28

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

They should not be allowed
to stay in the country
legally

There should be a way for them to stay
in the country legally, if certain
requirements are met

No
answer

37
44
23
23
32

30
36
20
15
30

24
29
18
12
22

62
55
74
76
65

69
64
78
84
68

75
70
81
87
76

1
1
2
1
2

1
*
2
1
2

1
1
1
1
1

LGLSTATUS TREND:8

Apr 8-14, 2024
All U.S. adults
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian

Apr 5-11, 2021
All U.S. adults
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian

Jun 4-10, 2020
All U.S. adults
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

LG_IMLVL
ASK ALL:
[ PN: ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-2/2-1 HOLDING 3, 98, AND 99 LAST ]

Should legal immigration into the United States be…

All U.S. adults

30
22
46
2

Increased
Decreased
Kept at its present level
No answer

Registered
voters
29
23
46
 2

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
17
33
48
 1

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
42
12
44
 2

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

8 In the April 2024, 2021 and 2020 surveys, the question did not emphasize “undocumented.”

www.pewresearch.org

29

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

IMMSER
ASK ALL:
[ PN: RANDOMIZE BATTERY ITEMS ]

Should each of the following be eligible for public assistance provided by state and local governments?

All U.S. adults

Registered
voters

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris

LGL

ILGL

Immigrants who are living in the U.S. legally
Yes
No
No answer

80
19
 1

Immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally
Yes
No
No answer

20
78
 1

79
20
 1

18
81
 1

69
30
 1

4
96
 *

89
10
 1

31
68
 1

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

IMMSTS
ASK ALL:
[ PN: ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-2/2-1, HOLDING 3, 98 AND 99 LAST ]

Do you think the increasing number of immigrants in the United States will make life…

All U.S. adults

15
32
52
 1

Better for people like you
Worse for people like you
No different for people like you
No answer

Registered
voters
13
34
51
 1

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
4
59
36
 1

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
23
11
65
 1

www.pewresearch.org

30

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

[ PN: IF X_FORM=1, SHOW LGIMPCT FIRST FOLLOWED BY ILLIMPCT. IF X_FORM=2, SHOW
ILLIMPCT FIRST, FOLLOWED BY LGIMPCT ]
LGIMPCT
ASK ALL:
[ PN: RANDOMIZE BATTERY ITEMS IN SAME ORDER AS ILLIMPCT; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-
2/2-1 HOLDING OPTION 3, 98, AND 99 LAST ]

What type of impact do you think immigrants living in the country legally are having on each of the
following areas?

All U.S. adults

Registered
voters

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris

CRIME

Crime

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

ECON

The U.S. economy

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

VALUE

Social and cultural values

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

TECH

Science and technological innovation

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

13
25
60
 2

46
19
33
 2

37
17
44
 2

45
 7
46
 2

PUBRES

Public resources (such as housing, education, health care, etc.)

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

22
30
46
 2

12
24
62
 2

47
19
33
 2

36
18
45
 2

45
 7
46
 2

21
31
47
 2

10
36
53
 2

31
29
38
 2

21
29
48
 2

33
 10
55
 2

13
43
42
 2

13
14
71
 2

62
9
27
 2

49
7
42
 2

57
 3
37
 2

27
19
52
 2

www.pewresearch.org

31

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

[ PN: IF X_FORM=1, SHOW LGIMPCT FIRST FOLLOWED BY ILLIMPCT. IF X_FORM=2, SHOW
ILLIMPCT FIRST, FOLLOWED BY LGIMPCT ]
ILLIMPCT
ASK ALL:
[ PN: RANDOMIZE BATTERY ITEMS IN SAME ORDER AS LGIMPCT; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS IN
THE SAME ORDER AS LGIMPCT ]

What type of impact do you think immigrants living in the country illegally are having on each of the

following areas?

All U.S. adults

Registered
voters

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris

CRIME

Crime

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

ECON

The U.S. economy

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

VALUE

Social and cultural values

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

TECH

Science and technological innovation

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

 4
63
31
 2

22
54
22
 2

18
44
35
 2

14
24
60
 2

PUBRES

Public resources (such as housing, education, health care, etc.)

Making things better
Making things worse
Not having much effect
No answer

 7
66
24
 2

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

 3
64
31
 2

21
56
21
 2

16
47
35
 2

12
25
61
 2

 6
70
23
 2

 1
92
6
 1

5
85
9
 1

5
76
18
 1

4
43
52
 1

3
92
5
 1

 4
37
56
 2

38
28
32
 3

27
20
51
 2

19
9
69
 2

9
49
40
 2

www.pewresearch.org

32

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

KNOWIMM
ASK ALL:

Do you personally know someone in your community who was born outside of the United States?

All U.S. adults

71
29
 1

Yes
No
No answer

Registered
voters
72
28
 1

NET
Trump/Lean
Trump
69
30
 1

NET
Harris/Lean
Harris
75
25
 1

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE OR PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

www.pewresearch.org