EDINBURG, Texas – EDINBURG, Texas – The UTRGV Center for Survey Research & Policy Analysis (CSRPA) fielded the 2022 Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Our Voice/Nuestra Voz Survey (OVNV).
The survey, posted above, found that:
- More than a majority of RGV residents opposed the construction of the proposed border wall.
- The percentage of RGV residents who support building a border wall has nearly doubled since 2018.
- RGV Republican support for building a border wall has increased by 30 percent since 2018. The increase is found across party lines and gender.
- About 1 in 2 RGV residents disagree that the border wall would reduce the number of immigrants.
The survey states:
“When the new survey asked, “Are you in favor or do you oppose building a wall along the border to Mexico?”, about 2 in 3 RGV residents – 65.2 percent – expressed opposition to the border wall construction. When the same question was asked in the 2018 survey, about 76 percent expressed opposition. When we look only at participants who answered the question, the opposition was about 84 percent. Thus, we can say the opposition to border wall construction has decreased by about 30 percent since 2018. Nationally, the opposition to building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border remains high. In a 2017 survey conducted by the Pew Research Institute, 63 percent of respondents opposed the construction of a border wall. The 2019 Pew survey also found that more than half of Americans (58 percent) still opposed; expanding the border wall. Over the last four years, the RGV opinion has seemed to follow the national trend. Dr. Mi-son Kim, an Associate Professor of Political Science, mentioned that “The border issue has been nationalized, leading residents in the RGV to respond to the issue similarly as people outside the RGV. And this trend primarily means more conservative sentiment has grown among our residents in the recent years”. Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who are in favor of building the border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has doubled. In 2018, the percentage was only about 16.3 percent, while it increased to 34.7 percent in 2022.”
The percentage of RGV residents who support building a border wall has nearly doubled.
The survey states:
“As the RGV public opinion on building a border wall follows the national pattern. Surprisingly, support for the border has increased among Republican and Democratic respondents. In 2018, about half of Republicans (49%) were in favor of building the wall, while that percentage increased to 75 percent in 2022. The percentage of Democrats who are in favor of building the wall also increased. In 2018, only 9.2 percent of Democrats were in favor of building the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. By 2022, that number had doubled to 18.7%. Dr. Natasha Altema McNeely, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, said, “The increase in support for the border wall among Republican and Democratic residents in the RGV may be a result of national and local news coverage about migrants crossing the border and Governor Abbott’s efforts to increase border security in response.”
About the Center for Survey Research & Policy Analysis
The Center for Survey Research & policy Analysis (www.utrgv.edu/center-for-survey-research) at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was established in 1998 to study and report on issues of local concern in the Rio Grande Valley and to provide training opportunities and research experience to students in survey research methods. Today, the Center continues its mission to provide timely applied research, and technical assistance and consulting services to local and state agencies, non-profit organizations and private business associations throughout the Rio Grande Valley, as well as to the UTRGV community. The Center’s capabilities include survey design and administration, public opinion polling, data collection and analysis, program evaluation, needs assessment, technical assistance and policy analysis. For more information or to discuss a potential project contact [email protected].
Quality journalism takes time, effort and…. Money!
Producing quality journalism is not cheap. The coronavirus has resulted in falling revenues across the newsrooms of the United States. However, The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service is committed to producing quality news reporting on the issues that matter to border residents. The support of our members is vital in ensuring our mission gets fulfilled.
Can we count on your support? If so, click HERE. Thank you!
