48 percent of poll takers said illegal immigration is a “very big problem,” compared to the 47 percent that said the same about the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The American public is now more likely to view illegal immigration as a bigger issue than the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a new poll conducted by Pew Research shows.
48 percent of poll takers said illegal immigration is a "very big problem," compared to the 47 percent that said the same about the current COVID-19 pandemic. This marks a significant shift in attitudes from June last year, in which just 28 percen said illegal immigration was a big issue, and 58 percent who felt that way about the pandemic.
The poll surveyed 5,109 American adults from April 5-11, as President Joe Biden nears the 100-day mark of his presidency.
The shift in attitudes comes amidst the ongoing crisis at the southern border. In March, US Border officials estimated that 17,000 unaccompanied children attempted to cross the border, and Department of Homeland Security has given the estimate of 500,000 to 800,000 families attempting to cross into the United States for fiscal year 2021.
On the other hand, many states are entering a phase of easing restrictions pandemic, with some like Texas and Mississippi completely removing restrictions altogether as the number of people fully vaccinated rises and hospitalizations fall.
Pew's poll also placed Biden's approval rating at 59 percent after a small dip to 54 percent in March. Almost half of those curveyed, 46 percent, said that they like the way Biden conducts himself as president, while to 27 percent that say they don't. Compared to polls conducted under the Trump Administration, where just 15 percent said they liked how Trump conducted himself as president.
When asked about how many important issues the person agrees with Biden on, just shy of half said they mostly or totally agreed, presenting a similar split as last year under the Trump Administration.
"Fewer than half of Americans (44%) say they agree with Biden on all or nearly all (13%) or on many (31%) of the important issues facing the country; 25% say they agree with Biden on a few issues, while 29% say they agree with him on almost no issues. Last year, 42% of Americans said they agreed with Trump on nearly all (19%) or many issues (23%)," said Pew Research.
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