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Arizonans continue to see illegal immigration as a major problem, divided on deportation policies, say results of Arizona State University Morrison-Cronkite Quarterly Poll released Tuesday.
"Arizonans seem to be somewhat conflicted on the issues surrounding undocumented immigrants,” the poll report said.
While nine out of 10 participants agreed or strongly agreed that illegal immigration was a problem, “the poll also shows that Arizonans believe that Arizona needs to treat undocumented immigrants humanely,” said Joseph Garcia, director of the Latino Public Policy Center at ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
He said most people who identify with a political party agree with their party’s views on immigration, as it is often the case across the U.S.
“But I think Arizona is looking at it a little bit differently post SB 1070,” Garcia said. “That’s understanding that we have to deal with the situation in a more humane way, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t strict laws and enforcement.”
In another aspect of the poll, 45 percent of those asked said they would make marijuana legal for adults in the state, another 42 percent said they would keep it legal for medical purposes, and 13 percent would “make all marijuana use illegal, including the use of marijuana for medical purposes."
Morrison's polling analyst said the marijuana question results should not be taken to mean an initiative, expected on the 2016 state ballot, would be successful, because the poll was not aimed at likely voters.
The poll surveyed 754 Arizona adults in January.
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