The ACLU of Pennsylvania commissioned public polling in the summer of 2024 to learn more about voter preferences in Pennsylvania on a range of public policy issues. The polling consisted of a multi-day focus group online and a text-to-web survey of 600 likely Pennsylvania voters from June 13-19, 2024.
While the economy was the issue most cited by respondents, public safety and immigration reform were also common concerns among those polled. The memo below reviews the results of the polling regarding public safety and immigration reform and offers key messages that resonated most with Pennsylvania voters on these issues.
Read the memo from our pollsters.
Winning messages include:
- Pennsylvanians prefer solutions in immigration reform that include creating a path to citizenship and creating a better process for asylum seekers. The majority of voters prioritized these solutions as opposed to measures like building walls or increasing deportations.
- Pennsylvanians prefer solutions on public safety that address the root causes of crime instead of more punitive policies like increased arrests or incarceration. The majority of voters want to see investment in programs and resources that have been proven to prevent crime instead of the failed “tough on crime” policies of the past.
Explore the Interactive graphic on public safety polling
explore the interactive graphic on immigration polling
Pennsylvania voters have made it clear: they don't want the failed, punitive public safety policies of the past. They want investments in the services and resources that address crime at the root.
Pennsylvania voters prefer welcoming policies that allow undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows and enter on a path to citizenship.