New Immigration Poll Produces Different Arkansas Results

A new poll on immigration shows strong support for federal reforms and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in Arkansas.

The poll, conducted by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) on June 3-4, 2013, is a sharp contrast to two polls released in recent weeks. The poll surveyed 611 Arkansas voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4%.  It was The sponsored by the Alliance for Citizenship, Partnership for a New American Economy and Republicans for Immigration Reform, three organizations who represent support for immigration reform.

The PPP poll released Thursday (June 13) showed that Arkansans are in favor of a bipartisan immigration bill being debated in the U.S. Senate by a 67-27% margin. Seven percent said they were unsure.

When asked if Arkansans supported or opposed an immigration reform plan that allowed for a path to citizenship if certain conditions are met, 78% said they supported it while just 19% opposed.

Of those polled, 58% are more likely to vote for an elected official who supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship, while just 22% said they would oppose a candidate.

The political party identification breakdown for the poll was 35% Republican, 34% Democrat, and 31% Independent.

You can access the full PPP poll at this link.

Last week, a group known as FAIR, released a Pulse Opinion Research poll of 500 Arkansas voters that showed 60% of Arkansans opposed the bipartisan immigration reform bill being considered by the U.S. Senate.

A May 2013 poll conducted by Diamond State Consulting Group for the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association found:

68% of Arkansans think illegal immigrants hurt the economy.
20% think illegal immigrants help the economy.
59% think businesses hiring illegal immigrants should be punished.
28% think businesses hiring illegal immigrants should not be punished.