ABSTRACT
This chapter explores public opinion about immigration from several angles, provides a brief overview of modern immigration policy, and discusses attitudes about immigration over time and note how political events and differences in question wording can affect public preferences. In addition to examining attitudes about immigration policy, scholars have also studied attitudes about immigrants. These investigations reveal a sense of ambivalence and contradiction in how Americans think about immigrants. The chapter examines the ambivalence that Americans express toward immigrants, both celebrating their contributions to American society while also blaming them for the nation’s problems. It discusses how the large number of first generation immigrants in the country creates the impression that immigrants are failing to assimilate to American culture, which makes many Americans resentful. The chapter considers the role that debates about immigration play in electoral politics.
