Wide Partisan Divide in Overall Views of Immigrants' Impact on the U.S. Which comes closer to your view? Immigrants today (%) Burden country Strengthen
Overall views of immigrants: Views about immigration policies are often shaped by views about immigrants themselves: Are immigrants generally a problem, taking jobs and services, or do they strengthen the country through hard work and talents?
In our May survey, about half of Americans (51%) say immigrants strengthen the country, while 41% view them as a burden. (These opinions have fluctuated over the years, but in the mid-1990s, majorities said immigrants to the U.S. were a burden.) However, Republicans (63%) are far more likely than Democrats (32%) to say immigrants are a burden. And the share of Republicans who regard immigrants as a burden jumped 15 percentage points, from 48% in March 2014.
Wide Partisan Divide in Overall Views of  | Immigrants' Impact on the U.S.  | Which comes closer to your view?  | Immigrants today (%)  | Burden country Strengthen  | by taking jobs country through  | housing health hard work &  | talents  | care  | Total  | 41  | 51  | Re publican  | 63  | 27  | Democrat  | 32  | 62  | Independ lent  | 36  | 57  | Survey conducted May 12-18 2015 Other/don 'tknow responses  | notshown.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 