Americans would support merit-based system

A new survey has revealed that the majority of Americans would support the introduction of a merit-based immigration system.

Last month, President Trump suggested that he would like to implement a point-based skilled immigration system similar to that used in countries like Australia and Canada.

A Rasmussen Reports poll, shows that 44 per cent of likely American voters want to move to a merit-based immigration, while 37 per cent want to keep the current system, A further 18 per cent admitted to being unsure as to what system would work best.

Support for a merit-based system was particularly strong amongst male and younger voters. Just over half of male voters would support merit-based immigration, compared to just 38 per cent of women. Meanwhile, 49 per cent of voters between the ages 18 to 30 favoured a merit system, compared to 43 per cent aged between 40 to 64.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the measure was far more popular among Republican voters than it was Democrats. Sixty per cent of Republicans like the sound of the idea compared to just under 40 per cent of democrats. Voters who do not identify with either of the two major political parties show 47 per cent support as well.

Article published 13th April 2017