Immigration issue pushes toward 'top concern'

Zogby survey finds illegals crisis eclipses economy, gas prices
Posted: May 6, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

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.