Fifty-nine percent of adults in Texas are against the central campaign promise of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, to construct a wall on the border between Mexico and the US. This is according to the results of a new poll from Texas Lyceum, a nonpartisan statewide leadership group.
The figure falls to 48 percent when the poll takes into account those who are likely to vote. Also, 46 percent of those surveyed are in support of building the border wall to keep put undocumented immigrants. There is a sharp divide between Democrats and Republicans on the issue, with 67 percent of Republicans in favor, compared to 11 percent of Democrats. Twenty-four percent of independent voters agree with the idea proposed by Trump. The sample surveyed by the poll is more diverse than those used in most election and public opinion polling, according to Josh Blank, Politics Project polling and research manager at the University of Texas, Austin.
Blank says that it’s easy to see Texas characterized as being deeply conservative and Republican through-and-through using election results and registered voters, but that such methods then miss out on the nuances that are highlighted by the new Texas Lyceum poll.
Immigration remains the main issue for the people of Texas, according to the survey, with 54 percent believing that immigration helps the US and 33 percent believing the opposite. The poll was conducted between 1-11 September, with 1000 Texas adults questioned.