More than 80% of Trump supporters see refugees as threat to US, survey shows - The Guardian

More than eight in 10 Republicans who support Donald Trump regard refugees from Iraq and Syria as a major threat to the US, according to a survey that lays bare the deep political polarisation in America.

Trump’s creed of “America first” set out in a recent foreign policy speech in Washington appears to be resonating with Republicans who believe the US should put its own interests ahead of playing the role of global policeman.

“America’s Place in the World” is a survey of foreign policy attitudes conducted periodically by the Pew Research Center. The latest poll was carried out among 2,008 US adults from 12 to 19 April, before Ted Cruz and John Kasich pulled out of the race for the Republican nomination.

For those who back the New York billionaire in the primary campaign, the large number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Iraq and Syria is especially worrisome, according to Pew. Some 85% of Republican voters who support Trump say the refugees are a major threat to the US, compared with 74% of those who prefer Cruz and 59% who prefer Kasich. Trump has promised a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.

Among Democratic voters, by contrast, just 40% of Clinton supporters and 34% of Bernie Sanders backers view the refugee migration as a major threat. For Trump supporters, only the threat from Islamic State (93%) ranks higher than refugees, among the eight issues included.

In Washington last month, Trump promised to “shake the rust off America’s foreign policy” with a more inward-looking approach that would not become embroiled in democracy-building abroad. Some commentators have suggested that, given her track record as a senator and secretary of state, Clinton would be more interventionist.

Nearly six in 10 (57%) people surveyed by Pew want the US to deal with its own problems, while letting other countries get along as best they can. Just 37% say the US should help other countries deal with their problems. And more Americans say the US does too much (41%), rather than too little (27%), to solve world problems, with 28% saying it is doing about the right amount. - Read More
More than 80% of Trump supporters see refugees as threat to US, survey shows