(Carson, CA) – The Dominguez Poll, a survey undertaken by California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and its Urban Community Research Center to gauge the opinions of residents within the university’s service area on a variety of national topics, found that approximately 7 out of 10 respondents believe immigration has a positive effect on the United States.
A total of 384 survey responses were collected, a statistically valid sampling to a 95 percent confidence level with a +/- 2.5 percent margin of error. The survey, which was conducted in both English and Spanish in November and December 2017, sought responses to questions related to the current level of immigration in the U.S., if immigration is a “good thing,” and the rights of undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children by their immigrant parents.
“The results of the poll strongly suggest that proximity to immigrants on a daily basis moderates our fears and anxieties about the negative effects of immigration,” said Mitch Avila, dean of the CSUDH College of the Arts and Humanities. “Evidently the residents of the South Bay have similar experiences with undocumented populations, which has led on the whole to greater openness and less concern about potential negative outcomes from undocumented immigration.”
Click here for an in-depth look at the survey results.
The Dominguez Poll’s findings were compared to recent national polls conducted by Gallup, the HuffPost, and/or National Public Radio (NPR). Overall, it found that the South Los Angeles County area had a more positive view of immigration than those national polls. For example, the sentiment that immigration should be decreased is notably smaller than both the Gallup and NPR polls.
Along political lines, residents in this region were less anxious to decrease levels of immigration, including Republicans who typically strongly favor stricter immigration laws. When asked if they thought immigration was a ‘good thing’, 73 percent of respondents said it was, compared to 71 percent of respondents in a recent Gallup survey. Only 12 percent of people in the Dominguez Poll considered immigration a bad thing compared to 23 percent nationally.
“Simply put, CSU Dominguez Hills service area residents are more affirming of immigration then is typical for the United States as a whole,” said Keith Boyum, who was among a team of CSUDH faculty and administrators who analyzed the data.
With the current national debate over the fate of the many undocumented individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children, respondents were asked their opinions of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. The poll results show overwhelmingly (82 percent) that residents of the South LA County region support the status of DACA individuals and agree they should be allowed to stay in the country.
CSUDH commissioned the Dominguez Poll as part of ¡Adelante! Latinx Activism in California, the university’s themed semester of events exploring the history and impact of the Latinx community.
The telephone survey was conducted by the Social Science Research Center at CSU Fullerton, with the results analyzed by the CSUDH Urban Community Research Center.
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About CSU Dominguez Hills — With approximately 15,000 students, many who are first in their families to attend college, CSU Dominguez Hills provides high quality academic programs to students who aspire to succeed and thrive in a complex, global society. A leader in fostering a college-focused culture in the urban communities it serves, the university offers a proven path to opportunity and social equity and is a national laboratory and model for student access and success. For more information, visit www.csudh.edu.
