Americans want immigrants to assimilate, learn English: Poll

The overwhelming majority of Americans support requiring immigrants to the country to adapt to American culture and learn English and back at least some measures to encourage that behavior, according to a recent survey.

Ninety-six percent of registered voters expressed the belief that it was important for immigrants to learn English, including 75% who said it was "very important," according to a Napolitan News survey. Seventy-six percent, moreover, approved of President Donald Trump's executive order establishing English as the official language, including 96% of Republicans and 52% of Democrats.

The public was more split on issuing government forms exclusively in English, with 45% supporting the move, 50% wanting their availability in other languages, and 5% unsure. The numbers nearly reversed when the matter turned to ballots, with 50% saying they should be available only in English and 48% saying they should come in other languages.

When pressed on the importance of assimilation, 61% said it was most important for immigrants to adapt to American culture, compared to 27% who said they should prioritize the culture of their home country and 12% who were unsure.

Americans also expressed the view that immigrants needed to support the nation's founding ideals, with 49% saying it was very important and 38% saying it was somewhat important.

Conducted March 6 among 1,000 registered voters, the survey has a margin-of-error of +/- 3.1%.