PHOENIX — Arizona voters overwhelmingly favor even the most controversial provisions within Senate Bill 1070, according to a poll released Wednesday Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
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• Requiring people to produce documents verifying legal status.
• Allowing police to detain those unable to produce verification of legal status.
• Requiring police to question anyone they suspect may be in the country illegally.
The poll found that 64 percent of all registered voters support all three provisions, while only 17 percent oppose all three.
“What surprised me was the level of support in both Republican and Democratic parties,” said David Daugherty, the Morrison Institute’s director of research. “Even when you sort of tear the bill apart and look at the pieces, people support it.”
Among all registered voters, 81 percent said they approve of the provision requiring people to produce documents verifying legal status. Ninety-two percent of Republicans, 79 percent of independents and 68 percent of Democrats supported the provision.
Voters also strongly supported the provision allowing police to detain anyone unable to verify their legal status, with 74 percent of respondents in favor of it. Ninety-three percent of Republicans and 73 percent of independents were in favor versus 50 percent of Democrats.
“I’ve been doing research for 30 years, and it’s really hard to get any group to have more than 90 percent agreement on any issue,” Daugherty said. “The size of the majority supporting [these provisions] is a little eye-popping.”
Sixty-eight percent of voters surveyed favored the provision that would allow police to question anyone they think may be in the country illegally when stopped as a suspect or arrested for a crime. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans and 67 percent of independents were in favor versus 48 percent of Democrats.
Bill Merrill, a retired Arizona State University professor who directs the Cronkite/Eight Poll, said he’s not surprised by the level of support for SB 1070, though the numbers seem higher than other polls.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or Republican,” Merrill said. “If you lean conservative on social issues, you are going to support some aspects of 1070.”
The survey was conducted using an online probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population with a margin for error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Participants identified through the panel received a letter or phone call inviting them to participate by computer. Those without computers were given access to a laptop and an Internet connection at no cost.
Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, the assistant house minority leader, said a that with an electronic poll “there’s just no reliability; it could be anyone pushing those buttons.”
“While I question the reliability of the poll, the results don’t really surprise me,” Sinema said. “Arizona voters are rightfully frustrated by the lack of federal action.”
Key findings from Morrison Institute poll
By Cronkite News Service
Provision: Require people to produce documents verifying legal status.
• Republicans: 92 percent
• Democrats: 68 percent
• Independents: 79 percent
Provision: Allow police to detail anyone unable to verify their legal status.
• Republicans: 93 percent
• Democrats: 50 percent
• Independents: 73 percent
Provision: Require police to question anyone to question anyone they think may be in the country illegally when stopped.
• Republicans: 87 percent
• Democrats: 48 percent
• Independents: 67 percent
Comments
Truth be told wrote on Oct 12, 2010 5:15 PM:
On the other hand, the hardest working people I have ever known are Mexican people and Guatemalan people. All they want to do is work and earn enough money to give their families a better life. They are too proud to take handouts.
The only people who have brought property values down are the crooks of mortgage lending companies and the banks who turned the real estate market into a scam.
And if you check the statistics for Americans receiving public assistance or food stamps, the overwhelming majority who are receiving this help are poor White-Americans. This assistance is a vital help for all families who are trying to find work but need to survive until they find a job. Employment is harder and harder to find because American corporations have taken the jobs to China and Thailand. "
to Arizona Patriot wrote on Oct 3, 2010 8:52 PM:
Dont get it wrote on Oct 3, 2010 4:12 PM:
Arizona Patriot wrote on Sep 23, 2010 7:34 PM:
midwest patriot wrote on Sep 23, 2010 9:40 AM:
Mr. Cool wrote on Sep 19, 2010 7:53 AM:
don wrote on Sep 15, 2010 10:42 AM: