Immigration & Economy: An Inseparable Political Issue
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Key Takeaways
- Americans often mention immigration and the economy in the same conversations, indicating voters view these issues as related.
- Both economic and immigration sentiments are predominantly negative, with positive views of immigration only mentioned in isolated conversations.
- The economy is regularly discussed at higher volume, often including embedded conversations about immigration’s impact on economic strains.
Our Methodology
Demographics
All Voters
Sample Size
162,500
Geographical Breakdown
National
Time Period
7 Days
MIG Reports leverages EyesOver technology, employing Advanced AI for precise analysis. This ensures unparalleled precision, setting a new standard. Find out more about the unique data pull for this article.
MIG Reports analysis of voter discussions shows two consistently pressing and connected topics for Americans in the 2024 election—the economy, and immigration.
Their interrelation often focuses on:
- How immigration impacts economic discussions
- How the economy impacts immigration discussions
The intent of this study is to determine trending themes, parallels, or anomalies from conversations and how they impact each other based on framing. Some key findings include:
- Sentiment is generally negative on the economy and the border.
- The total volume of discussions is greater regarding the economy than immigration.
- Discussions are often intertwined but the economy features more frequently in immigration discussions.
- Positive views of immigration are only present in conversations exclusively focused on the border.
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Disparity in Volume and Focus
Analysis of two data sets includes conversations about the economy which mention immigration and conversations about immigration which mention the economy. Generally, economic concerns are discussed in larger volume than immigration issues. While there is similarity across swing state and national conversations, the economy is more often discussed within immigration conversations than immigration is discussed within economic conversations.
When discussion is focused on the economy, immigration is sometimes brought up as a negative pressure on economic problems—exacerbating inflation and taxation. When general discussion is on immigration, voters again emphasize negative economic impacts. But they often mention things like job competition, strain on social services, and crime. The discussions have less breadth and depth, however, compared to economic-centric discussions.
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Consistency in Themes but Different Emphases
The same themes of inflation, job competition, taxation, and government spending recur in both sets of analyses. This suggests consistent voter concern about the economic implications of immigration. However, the emphasis differs in each type of discussion.
In the economic-centric discussions, these themes are explored in greater detail and connected to broader economic policy critiques. In immigration-centric discussions themes concentrate on how immigration exacerbates these economic issues. There is often a focus on the immediate and tangible impacts of unchecked immigration like job availability and social service burdens.
Within immigration-focused discussions there is a stronger narrative around security and crime. This is especially pronounced in data sets from swing states and presidential election conversations. Crime and safety, while present in economic discussions, is pronounced when immigration is the primary topic. This suggests deeper public anxieties about safety that Americans directly associate with increased immigration.
Mostly Negative Sentiment, Some Positive Support
Across both sets of analyses, sentiment remains largely negative toward current economic and immigration policies. However, there is relatively more support or positive framing in the immigration-centric discussions compared to the economic-centric ones.
While the immigration-focused discussions still emphasize concerns about job competition, strain on social services, and crime, there is a noticeable viewpoint which recognizes potential economic benefits of immigration.
Immigration supporters argue immigrants fill labor gaps, contribute to economic growth, and increase tax revenues. While these supportive views are sometimes expressed in immigration-centric discussions, they are still overshadowed by the dominant negative sentiment.
In economy-centric conversations, views of immigration are uniformly critical, with almost no mention of positive impacts. Here, immigration is more frequently viewed as a significant contributing factor to economic problems.
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Polarization and Political Divide
Political polarization present in economic discussions is also evident in immigration discussions, though with sharper contrasts. When immigration is the focal point, the divide between supporters of stricter immigration policies and advocates for reform is more pronounced.
This contentious dialogue emerges regarding immigration, while the economy is less divisive—though still mostly negative. In the data set comprised of election-related topics, immigration discussions are often framed within a broader political narrative. These conversations emphasize past and present immigration policies, directly comparing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Economy Nested Within Immigration
The immigration-focused analysis shows voter conversations narrow down on specific economic impacts like job competition and welfare costs. They delve less frequently into broader economic trends such as long-term fiscal responsibility or overall economic growth. This indicates the economy is such an overarching concern for Americans that it often figures into their discussions about immigration.
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