Poll: National Security and Issues 6.23.16

Update: In light of the recent Brexit vote, it seems as if these findings are all the more poignant. In both the US and the UK, voters appear to be rejecting the paradigm of globalized immigration, sending a message of “no more” to the elites in government. While the US is less likely to face the same degree of immigration from middle-eastern countries as the UK (and Europe generally), the “leave” camp’s message of enhanced border scrutiny resonates with Americans.

In our most recent survey, we polled voters nationwide on issues relating to national security, immigration, and gun control. The results indicate that Americans’ views are somewhat at odds with the current model of national security, particularly with regard to screening visitors to the United States.

Some key findings:

88% of respondents indicated that they support prohibiting individuals suspected of terrorism from purchasing firearms
83% of respondents support stripping the citizenship of US citizens who declare their allegiance to ISIS, or any other such terrorist organization
78% of respondents support requiring all foreign individuals entering the US to agree to uphold principles of the constitution during their stay
71% of respondents support identifying foreign supporters of Sharia law prior to their admission to the US
- Of the respondents who support identification, 80% think that those identified should not be admitted into the US
67% of respondents indicated that they are unsatisfied with US efforts to combat terrorism

Click here to view the full results

Voters were less keen on banning the sale of assault rifles, though most either approved or somewhat approved of the policy (49%). Interestingly, we see in the crosstabs that younger voters are less satisfied with current security efforts than other demographics, and they largely support stronger security measures, including the aforementioned assault rifle ban.

We also asked the following question: “Which of the following is the most important action that you believe the United States should be taking to combat terrorism?” Here’s the breakdown:

Declare war against ISIS	31%
Temporarily ban all foreign Muslims from entering the United States	31%
Increase foreign and domestic intelligence activities	12%
Engage in cyber espionage with terrorist networks	9%
Deploy ground troops to Syria	3%

Of note here is the apparent disconnect between declaring war, and actually sending troops to a foreign country. Perhaps most interestingly, we see in the tabs that a majority of Hispanic and Latino voters support a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States — a policy championed by Donald Trump. The same is true of the youngest demographic, 53% of whom support the Republican nominee’s proposed ban.

The survey contacted registered voters on the evenings of June 19th and 20th on their landline telephones and mobile devices. As with all of our surveys, the final data was weighted for several demographic variables to reflect the composition of the electorate. This survey was not sponsored or funded by any external organization.

Poll: National Security and Issues 6.23.16

Click here to view the full results

Click here to view the full results

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