The D.C. Region is Still Deeply Divided in Attitudes Towards Immigrants

by James Witte, Director of IIR

Over the past year, essential workers—in a range of areas from healthcare, food processing, service and delivery, and transportation—have taken risks to help the nation through the COVID-19 health and economic crises. While many have acknowledged the significance of foreign-born workers in this effort, a deep divide still exists within America on this topic. This has been driven home by a 2020 post-election survey of a representative sample of 662 residents of the D.C.-Baltimore metropolitan area we conducted at the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University (IIR).

These survey results show that, for more than half of respondents, the experience of COVID-19 demonstrates new Americans as assets to the nation. When asked to what extent they agree that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown that immigrants strengthen the country as they fill essential roles in the economy, 61% agreed. On the other hand, nearly one in four (23%) agreed with the statement that immigrants weaken the country as they may introduce new diseases.

While the survey is solely representative of the D.C.-Baltimore metropolitan areas, drilling down into this study reveals three indicators of this disconnect that are relevant even beyond the Beltway: preferred news sources, frequency of news consumption, and party affiliation.

48% of those who preferred social media or word-of-mouth agreed that immigrants weakened the United States as they “may introduce new diseases,” as compared to just 18%of those who relied on more formal news sources. Additionally, 65% of frequent news consumers agreed that immigrants had strengthened the nation compared to only 43% of less frequent news consumers.

When it comes to party affiliation, Democrats were far more likely to agree that immigrants strengthen the country than Republicans or Independents. Similarly, a third of Republicans see immigrants weakening the nation compared to 17% of Democrats. These findings can inform the way we approach immigration advocacy in the Washington-Baltimore region and as a country. Here are three takeaways for those seeking to heal the rift within America around the topic of immigration.

First, informal media channels (such as social media) need to convey the reality that immigrants are not responsible for the spread of COVID-19.

Second, an understanding of immigrants as essential workers needs to reach those individuals who consume “news” less frequently. This could take the form of public service announcements, incorporating positive messages during non-news broadcasts, or advertising through billboards or public transportation posters. Well-placed messaging of this type may then migrate into informal communication channels.

Third, and perhaps most challenging and important, is that these messages must be crafted in a way that appeals to Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike. Our study found that neither reliance on informal news sources nor frequency of news consumption varied with party affiliation, so messaging must transcend party lines and do so in a way that addresses the perceived risks that immigrants threaten the health of the nation, while also highlighting the essential roles that the foreign-born play in the U.S. economy.

To achieve this, broad economic arguments can help address both the perceived risks and the real benefits of strong immigrant populations. We must highlight that immigration is just one aspect of broader patterns of global travel, trade, and higher education that open up the possibility of global transmission of disease—just as they open up the possibilities for global spread of ideas and innovation. Overcoming the health and economic crises brought by COVID-19 will not be easy. However, as this happens, it is time to recognize that the role played by foreign-born workers in the United States is not confined to a limited sector of the U.S. economy, nor did it just begin during the pandemic. Foreign-born workers are essential to the U.S. economy as a whole—before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and as we come out of it.