Washington, D.C. — Ahead of tomorrow’s second anniversary of the fall of Kabul, a new poll shows overwhelming support for lawmakers to work together on a solution that offers certainty to resettled Afghans.
In the survey, fielded Aug. 5-10, support for legislation that aligns with the Afghan Adjustment Act outweighed opposition by more than 50 percentage points: 66% vs. 15% among 1,200 adults, with the remainder unsure. The National Immigration Forum, World Relief and More in Common partnered with the Bullfinch Group to ask the question.
“Many of our Afghan allies here in the U.S. remain with only temporary protection. After serving alongside us as allies for two decades, they should not fear that they might be forced to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan,” said Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum. “These findings underscore Americans’ inspiring support and welcome for our allies. Congress will be acting with American security and interests in mind when it moves forward on the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act.”
“This polling confirms what World Relief staff have observed in communities throughout the country: The American people, who enthusiastically welcomed Afghans two years ago, are now eager to ensure they do not remain stuck in legal limbo,” said Matthew Soerens, Vice President for Advocacy & Policy at World Relief. “That’s particularly true among evangelical Christians, 70 percent of whom the poll finds support the Afghan Adjustment Act. I hope Congress takes note and acts quickly.”
“The data shows that Americans of all backgrounds support welcoming our Afghan partners and providing them a clear legal pathway,” said Dan Vallone, Executive Director of More in Common US. “This is an important moment for Americans to come together and act.”
Full crosstabs are available for adults and for a subset of 1,000 registered voters. The findings include a 70%-17% spread among self-identified conservatives, and 70%-14% among evangelical Protestants.
The question included in the survey reads, “Last month, six Republican and six Democratic U.S. senators co-sponsored a bill supported by U.S. military veterans that would require Afghans evacuated by the U.S. military to undergo additional vetting and then allow them to apply for permanent legal status and eventual citizenship. Knowing this, do you support or oppose Democrats and Republicans coming together to offer permanent residence and citizenship to Afghans evacuated because they faced Taliban persecution for their service to the U.S. military or for other reasons?”
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The National Immigration Forum, World Relief and More in Common, in conjunction with The Bullfinch Group, conducted a nationwide online survey fielded Aug. 5-10, 2023, among 1,200 adults, of whom 1,000 respondents were registered voters. Sampling controls were used to ensure that a proportional and representative number of respondents were interviewed from demographic groups such as age, gender, political affiliation, race, and geographic region. The margin of error for registered voters is ±3.1% at the 95% confidence interval. The margin of error for adults is ± 2.83% at the 95% confidence interval.