After President Bush announced his, "Fair and Secure Immigration Reform" plan to create a massive guest worker program that could lead to amnesty for certain illegal aliens, CNN did a professional poll to see what Americans think about foreign workers. The two questions were in the middle of questions about other issues.

What CNN found might at first seem like a contradiction.

Respondents were asked:

"Which of the following statements comes closer to your view: immigrants mostly take jobs that American workers want, or immigrants mostly take low-paying jobs Americans don't want?"

Only 14% of Americans said foreign workers take jobs from Americans.

77% said these are jobs Americans don't want.

But when asked:

"Do you think immigrants mostly help the economy by providing low cost labor, (or) mostly hurt the economy by driving wages down for many Americans?"

65% said immigrants mostly hurt the economy by driving wages down for many Americans.

Analysis of poll finding
by Roy Beck, Executive Director
NumbersUSA Education and Research Foundation

1. Although few Americans are economists and not too many others have taken the time to study or try to understand how the law of supply and demand works in a market economy, this poll shows a rather surprising level of comprehension on the part of the American public.

2. The answers might at first appear to be contradictory because they seem to be saying, first, we need these workers but then say their presence hurts us.

But saying that immigrants mostly take low-paying jobs Americans don't want does not mean the respondents are saying it is a good thing that they do. In fact, their answer to the question makes it clear that they believe that it is a bad thing that all these foreign workers are taking jobs Americans don't want.

3. Implied in these answers is that most Americans realize that as long as there are foreign workers who take jobs Americans don't want, those jobs will not rise in pay and working conditions and benefits for Americans.

4. Nonetheless, I am a little disappointed that so many Americans accept with alacrity the claim that most immigrants only take jobs Americans won't do. In fact, millions of these jobs are decent paying and are in occupations that are filled primarily with American natives. But top officials such as the President and most journalists for more than a decade say without attribution or proof that these are jobs Americans won't do. Millions of foreign workers are in computer programming, health care, construction, and manufacturing that the 15 million Americans who currently cannot find a full-time job would dearly love to do.

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