Date of Award

5-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Dr. Patrick Donnay

Abstract

Immigration has been a hot button issue in politics across the world, especially in recent years in the United States. People’s views on immigration vary broadly among political parties and from every corner of the country. Why do people believe the things they do about immigrants? I researched this question to determine why immigration is at the forefront of American politics and how different aspects of one’s life affect his or her sentiments. Using General Social Survey data, I explored why some people feel threatened by immigrants coming to their country and others do not. Variables analyzed include income, church affiliation, education level, political party and region of residency. Hypotheses based on previous research suggests that education levels, political affiliation and one’s income are the social and economic factors that lead to one’s intolerance or acceptance of immigrants coming to the United States. I found that there was correlation with all socioeconomic factors, and beliefs on immigrants in the United States. These people often congregate on a larger level and share the same views with those who are like-minded.

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