Transatlantic Trends: Immigration 2009 Survey

The second-annual Transatlantic Trends: Immigration survey shows that while majorities on both sides of the Atlantic are preoccupied with economic troubles, the global financial crisis has not had a strong impact on views toward immigration.

Overall assessments of immigration as more of a problem or an opportunity have gone up slightly from last year; in 2009, 50 percent of Europeans and 54 percent of respondents in the United States described immigration as “more of a problem,” an increase from 43 percent and 50 percent, respectively, in 2008.

The Transatlantic Trends: Immigration public opinion survey addresses immigration and integration issues including the effect of the economic crisis on attitudes toward immigration, immigrants’ labor market impacts and effects on wages, and preferences for temporary vs. permanent labor migration programs. The survey also gauges opinion on a legalization program for illegal immigrants and asks respondents to rate how their government is managing immigration. Transatlantic Trends: Immigration is a project of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation (U.S.), the Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy), and the Barrow Cadbury Trust (U.K.), with additional support from the Fundación BBVA. It measures public opinion on immigration issues in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.

Respondents in all countries grossly overestimated the share of immigrants in their countries. Americans thought that 35% of the population in the United States are immigrants (the real number is closer to 14%), Canadians estimated 37% (20% in reality), and Europeans estimated an average of 24% (of the European countries surveyed, Spain and Germany have the highest share at 13%).

“The misconceptions about the numbers of immigrants in the United States, Canada, and Europe, provide a teaching moment for their governments,” said GMF President Craig Kennedy. “The gap can and does change the debate in tangible ways.”