Most Tennesseans want to grant legal immigration status to workers, according to MTSU poll

"They should be allowed to stay...": 51.0%

The 2009 MTSU poll asked this question:

Which comes closest to your view about illegal immigrants who are currently working in the U.S.?

• "They should be allowed to stay in their jobs, and to eventually apply for US citizenship."
• "They should be allowed to stay in their jobs only as temporary guest workers, but not to apply for U.S. citizenship."
• "They should be required to leave their jobs and leave the U.S."

And these were the answers:

"They should be allowed to stay...": 51.0%

• "...and to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship": 29.4%
• "...but not to apply for U.S. citizenship": 21.6%

"They should be required to leave...": 42.8%

Conducted by Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Mass Communication, the telephone poll of 716 randomly selected Tennessee adults has an error margin of plus or minus four percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. Theoretically, this means that a sample of this size should produce a statistical portrait of the population within four percentage points 95 out of 100 times. The Survey Group at MTSU provides independent, non-partisan and unbiased public opinion data regarding major social, political and ethical issues affecting Tennessee. The poll began in 1998 as a measure of public opinion in the 39 counties comprising Middle Tennessee and began measuring public opinion statewide in 2001. Learn more and view the full report on the poll’s website, www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

Seventy-five percent of Tennessee Hispanics are U.S. citizens or legal residents (story here).

Illustration by HispanicNashville.com