Poll: One-third of Americans favor cutting legal immigration

About one-third of Americans believe the number of legal immigrants admitted into the country each year should be reduced or eliminated entirely, with sharp partisan divides on the question, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll conducted June 13–15 among 1,549 U.S. adult citizens.

The survey asked whether legal immigration levels should be increased, kept the same, decreased or reduced to zero. Overall, 23% of respondents said legal immigration should increase, while 30% said current levels should stay the same and 15% were unsure. The remaining 33% — combining the 25% who said levels should be decreased with the 8% who favored reducing admissions to zero — supported some form of restriction.

The partisan gap was wide. Among those who voted for President Trump in 2024, 54% said legal immigration should be decreased or eliminated, compared with just 8% of Republicans who said levels should be raised. Among self-identified liberals, 46% favored increasing admissions, while only 7% of conservatives agreed. Democrats backed increases at 41%, versus 8% of Republicans.

The YouGov survey, conducted for The Economist, also asked respondents what they considered America’s greatest achievement in its first 250 years. Thirty percent named freedom and liberty, 19% cited scientific and technological innovation and 15% chose constitutional democracy. Just 2% selected immigration and tolerance.

The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.