Immigrants Gain Support, Survey Shows

Most Americans have heard about California’s unique population situation--where ethnic and racial minorities make up a majority of the state’s residents--and they generally think it is a good thing for the country, a new survey shows.

In a poll of 1,202 adults, the Pew Research Center found that about two-thirds of Americans are aware that blacks, Latinos and people of Asian descent have made California the first “minority-majority” state.

Overall, 42% of the people polled think the state’s ethnic and racial diversity is a “good thing,” while 28% say they think it is a “bad thing.” The rest didn’t express an opinion.

The results of the 2000 census has thoroughly “penetrated the public’s consciousness,” the Pew Research Center said in its survey of Americans’ opinions about last year’s decennial enumeration. The poll was conducted last month, and its results were released Sunday.

Nationwide, 58% of those polled were aware that the census reported that the nation’s Latino population is about equal to its black population.

The news of the Latino surge, however, produced split views among various groups.

Non-Latino whites viewed this as a positive development by a narrow margin, 35% to 29%. There was a more upbeat view among Latinos and non-whites, with 52% responding favorably to the news.

“Women age 50 and over, in particular, have reservations about this demographic shift,” the Pew survey says. Just 28% see the growth of the Latino population as a good thing, compared to 41% of men age 50 and over.

Younger Americans, ages 18 to 29, had the most positive view, with 49% saying it is a positive trend and only 18% calling it negative.

Americans now have an increasingly favorable view of immigration, the survey showed. Some 43% of those polled say that immigrants now adapt better to American life than prior generations of immigrants, while 21% say they don’t adapt well.

The public is also more likely now to believe immigrants make a positive contribution.

“In recent years, attitudes toward immigrants--particularly regarding their economic impact--have undergone a remarkable turnaround,” the Pew report says. In 1994, 63% of the public saw immigrants as “an economic drain on the country,” the report says. A Pew survey in September reported that that number had dropped, with 38% holding an unfavorable view of immigrants.

“This trend has cut across racial and ethnic lines,” with whites, blacks and Latinos all having more favorable views of immigrants.

While the country is more welcoming toward immigrants, there is still a generalized concern about the increase in their numbers. Only 32% of those polled in April viewed the increase as a good thing, while 50% were worried by it. Among non-Latino whites, 28% thought the population increase was good, and 54% felt it was bad. Both blacks and Latinos had a more favorable view.

The census indicated there is still a high degree of residential segregation. Of all those polled, 71% view this as a bad thing. Attitudes varied somewhat among population groups, however. About 68% of non-Latino whites said segregation is a bad thing, compared with 85% of blacks and 78% of Latinos.