Rising U.S. immigration opposition tracked culture, not economic conditions

Evidence

Despite these factors, in the quarter century after passage of the 1965 act that permitted greatly increased Asian and Latin American immigration, American public opinion shifted decisively. In 1965 only 33 percent of the public wanted less immigration. In 1977, 42 percent did; in 1986, 49 percent did; and in 1990 and 1993, 61 percent did. Polls in the 1990s consistently show 60 percent or more of the public favoring reduced immigration. While economic concerns and economic conditions affect attitudes toward immigration, the steadily rising opposition in good times and bad suggests that culture, crime, and way of life were more important in this change of opinion. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 540

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to current immigration debates and the stability of anti-immigration sentiment across economic cycles. — connects to: Doubt about open mobility led Americans to scrutinize immigrants — John Higham, Strangers in the Land: Patterns of…, 213; The removal of economic threat deflated nativism regardless of rising immigration — John Higham, Strangers in the Land: Patterns of…, 618