Immigration issue pushes toward 'top concern'

Just as the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, awakened the U.S. to the threat of terrorism, the publicity surrounding the May 1 boycott by illegal aliens and their supporters appears to have made the immigration issue one of Americans' top concerns, according to a new Zogby Interactive survey, and they're taking it out on President Bush.

While the war in Iraq continues to be seen as the top issue facing the nation for 37 percent of respondents, immigration and the war on terror came in with a close second at 32 percent each.

The vote split significantly along political and demographic lines, with 53 percent of Republicans calling immigration a top concern and just 10 percent of Democrats agreeing. The Iraq war and health care, health insurance and prescription drugs were the Democrats' chief concern.

Forty-eight percent of older voters – those over age 65 – gave immigration top billing while only 22 percent of voters under age 30 saw the issue as primary. Voters in Western states, which have been more severely impacted by immigration, ranked immigration first in greater numbers than those in the East.

The current bright U.S. economic outlook put concerns over jobs and the economy in sixth place overall. Even gas prices and utility rates, rapidly rising and the subject of numerous recent proposals in Congress, were the top issue for only 11 percent of respondents.

The focus on immigration was mirrored in the high negative ratings given Bush for his handling of the issue. His 36 percent overall positive job approval rating was heavily weighted downward by the 85 percent who scored him negatively on the issue of immigration.

Further, the immigration issue may be coloring participants' views of the president's performance on homeland security matters. Only 9 percent of voters rated him positive for his leadership in securing the nation's borders, while 45 percent gave him a positive rating for his handling of the broader war on terror – an overall drop from previous surveys.

The survey, conducted April 28 through May 1, included 5,712 respondents.

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