Most Americans critical of government’s handling of border situation

Plus, how national identity is viewed in four countries May 8, 2021 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ Most Americans are critical of government’s handling of situation at U.S.-Mexico border With Border Patrol apprehensions once again increasing this spring, Americans are expressing renewed concern over illegal immigration and the situation at the U.S. border with Mexico. About two-thirds of adults say the government is doing a very (33%) or somewhat (35%) bad job of dealing with the increased number of people seeking asylum. The public broadly agrees on some actions the government could take in response: Large majorities say it is very or somewhat important to increase available staff to patrol and police the border and to quickly process unaccompanied minors. Most say undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country legally, if certain requirements are met From March: Migrant apprehensions at U.S.-Mexico border are surging again Views about national identity becoming more inclusive in U.S., Western Europe Amid heated political debates over culture and belonging, views about national identity in the U.S., France, Germany and the UK have become less restrictive and more inclusive in recent years. Compared with 2016, fewer now believe that to truly be American, French, German or British, a person must be born in the country, be a Christian, embrace national customs or speak the dominant language. In all four nations, people also have become more likely to believe that immigrants want to adopt their country’s customs and ways of life. Ideological divisions over cultural issues are far wider in the U.S. than in the UK, France and Germany Americans divided on whether Trump should be permanently banned from social media The public is divided over whether former President Donald Trump’s accounts should be permanently banned from social media, with views deeply split along partisan lines. In a survey conducted April 12 to 18 – before an oversight board this week upheld Facebook’s decision to suspend Trump from the platform – 88% of Republicans said his accounts should not be permanently banned from social media, while 81% of Democrats said they should be. 70% of U.S. social media users never or rarely post or share about political, social issues With a potential ‘baby bust’ on the horizon, key facts about fertility in the U.S. before the pandemic Early data is pointing toward a significant drop in fertility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the United States and globally. Even before the outbreak began, however, the general fertility rate in the U.S. was at a record low. In 2019, there were 58.3 births for every 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, down from 59.1 in 2018 and the fifth consecutive year of decline. Broad agreement in U.S. – even among partisans – on which news outlets are part of the ‘mainstream media’ The term “mainstream media” has long been used to refer to established journalism outlets. It has also been used in a more critical context by political leaders and others. To learn more about how Americans interpret the term, we asked a representative sample of adults whether each of 13 news organizations is part of the mainstream media or not. About six-in-ten Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases Among U.S. religious groups, Biden’s approval ratings are mirror image of Trump’s From our research 65% The share of Americans who believe that U.S. immigrants want to adopt American customs and ways of life, up from 54% in 2018. Support Pew Research Center In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support Pew Research Center with a contribution on the Center's behalf to our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts. DONATE Newsletter preferences View in browser Unsubscribe Facebook Twitter Instagram Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2021 Pew Research Center