aelf
Ashen One
It has been said that immigration is one of the key issues that drove Trump's election victory in the USA. The average Joe is worried about it. The Dems didn't adopt a hardline position towards the border soon enough. Some people on OT bang on it's importance as well.
What do the polls say? Well, nearly half of U.S. adults say legal immigration into the United States should be kept at present levels. Overall, according the Pew survey, more adults in the US support increasing immigration (30%) over decreasing immigration (22%).
"But how can that be??" the anti-immigration folks on OT might ask. Are these respondents all bougie posers?
Maybe, in a way? I used to work in the research and polling industry, and what people think is the 'right' answer may influence their response (social desirability bias), especially when the question is phrased in ways that encourage it. If you ask people whether murder is acceptable, for example, I suspect the likelihood is people would answer "no" even if the victim is someone extremely evil. We've all been taught murder is unacceptable. It's one of the basic tenets of social living that's been drilled into us. But does that mean we don't feel that such a victim deserved it?
I've personally witnessed how people start off being PC in a qualitative study (focus groups), where I had the opportunity to dig deeper, before they eventually abandon that after finding out they have agreement from their peers. So, yes, maybe respondents are being bougie and woke (because that's a certifiably bougie thing, something the true salt of the earth would never be).
I'm inclined to believe that immigration is one of those issues which people's feelings might be negative about, but they can perhaps not rationally be too negative about. The negative feelings may be enough to drive people's behaviour, but they may not admit it, at least not openly.
Do you agree? How do you feel people's attitudes are towards immigration in your country, and are those reflected in what they say in polite company?
What do the polls say? Well, nearly half of U.S. adults say legal immigration into the United States should be kept at present levels. Overall, according the Pew survey, more adults in the US support increasing immigration (30%) over decreasing immigration (22%).
"But how can that be??" the anti-immigration folks on OT might ask. Are these respondents all bougie posers?
Maybe, in a way? I used to work in the research and polling industry, and what people think is the 'right' answer may influence their response (social desirability bias), especially when the question is phrased in ways that encourage it. If you ask people whether murder is acceptable, for example, I suspect the likelihood is people would answer "no" even if the victim is someone extremely evil. We've all been taught murder is unacceptable. It's one of the basic tenets of social living that's been drilled into us. But does that mean we don't feel that such a victim deserved it?
I've personally witnessed how people start off being PC in a qualitative study (focus groups), where I had the opportunity to dig deeper, before they eventually abandon that after finding out they have agreement from their peers. So, yes, maybe respondents are being bougie and woke (because that's a certifiably bougie thing, something the true salt of the earth would never be).
I'm inclined to believe that immigration is one of those issues which people's feelings might be negative about, but they can perhaps not rationally be too negative about. The negative feelings may be enough to drive people's behaviour, but they may not admit it, at least not openly.
Do you agree? How do you feel people's attitudes are towards immigration in your country, and are those reflected in what they say in polite company?
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