New Poll: Majority of Americans Support a U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2023 
Press Contact: McKenzie Wilson, mckenzie@dataforprogress.org
Sarah Sheffer, ssheffer@refintl.org

Eighty-nine percent of voters who personally know a refugee believe that the U.S. should have a refugee program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — New Data for Progress polling with Refugee Advocacy Lab finds that 70 percent of likely voters across demographics believe that the U.S. should have a refugee resettlement program that helps bring some people seeking refuge to safety in the United States. 

This support includes 64 percent of Independents, 60 percent of Republicans, and 86 percent of Democrats. It also includes at least two-thirds support of voters across demographics, including race, ethnicity, and education. 

“This new data underscores what many who work in the refugee resettlement space see in their work every day—not only do Americans from all walks of life believe that we are a nation that should welcome people seeking safety, but that belief is held even more deeply and consistently when given the opportunity to form a personal relationship with someone who has found refuge here,” said Kate Brick, Director of the Refugee Advocacy Lab. “It is a reminder that refugees themselves are often the most powerful communicators about the importance of American leadership on forced displacement, and that more must be done to ensure that their perspectives and experiences are part of the public conversation.”

Data for Progress polling also found that 14 percent of voters and 15 percent of adults say they know someone who is a refugee. Voters who personally know a refugee overwhelmingly believe that the U.S. should have a refugee program, with 89 percent support. 

Voters who personally do not know a refugee, however, also show considerable support toward refugee programs: 68 percent believe the U.S. should have this sort of program.

Our poll shows that both likely voters and adults share compassion for refugees, believing that the U.S. has the responsibility to provide a home for those seeking safety. 

Read the full poll here.

See the full press release here.