Roughly 6 in 10 voters view border security as “vital” to national security and rate the importance of it on par with North Korea, a new poll finds.
The Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds 59% say border security is a “vital national security interest for the United States,” while just 33% disagree.
Another 8% were unsure.
That includes 62% of men and 57% of women voters. It also includes a majority in every age group; 59% among voters ages 18-39, 60% among 40-64, and 57% among those 65 years and older.
By race, 61% of whites and 54% of black voters view border security as being a vital national security interest, as do 55% of all other voters. Eighty-four percent (84%) of Republicans, 61% of unaffiliated voters and 31% of Democrats, agree.
By comparison, a survey conducted by Rasmussen last month also found 59% of voters think North Korea is a vital national security interest.
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Interestingly, Republicans (64%) were slightly more likely than Democrats (57%) and unaffiliated voters (55%) to hold that view of the leftwing dictatorial regime.
Voters also want to secure the border before and view it as “more important” than dealing with “undocumented workers” already residing in the U.S. illegally. When asked, 53% said gaining control of the border is more important, while 40% chose the latter.
Another 7% were unsure.
Sixty percent (60%) of men and 47% of women think border security is more important, while 34% and 46%, respectively, say dealing with those residing in the U.S. illegally is more important.
Majorities of Republicans (81%) and unaffiliated voters (51%) agree, as do 31% of Democrats. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Democrats prioritize dealing with those residing in the U.S. illegally over securing the border.
The national telephone and online survey of 1,000 likely voters in the U.S. was conducted February 7 and 10, 2019 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
