A new study by the Public Policy Institute of California reveals that a steady 69% of Californians support a path to legal residency for undocumented immigrants.

There are deep partisan divides between Democrats and Republicans, coastal and inland areas, and Latinos and Whites but that exists on most social issues. From the study:

Californians in the San Francisco Bay Area (65%) and Los Angeles (64%) are more likely to say immigrants are a benefit to the state than are residents in the Other Southern California region (56%) and the Central Valley (47%). Among those most likely to say immigrants are a benefit to the state are
younger adults (72% benefit, 24% burden), residents with only a high school diploma (67% benefit, 28% burden), and foreign-born residents who are either U.S. citizens (79% benefit, 16% burden) or are not citizens (92% benefit, 4% burden). Among those who name jobs and the economy as the number one issue facing the state, 63 percent view immigrants as a benefit to California.

Strong majorities of Californians (69%) believe that illegal immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States for at least two years should be given a chance to keep their jobs and eventually apply for legal status. Twenty-eight percent of Californians believe that illegal immigrants should be deported to their native countries. Support for allowing immigrants to keep their jobs has been similarly high or higher since we began asking this question in June 2007 (74% keep jobs, 23% deported). However, partisan differences arise, with Democrats (78%) and independents (69%) preferring immigrants be given a chance to keep their jobs, and Republicans (50%) preferring they be deported. Across regions, residents in the San Francisco Bay Area (75%) are the most likely to favor immigrants keeping their jobs, while residents in the Other Southern California region (66%) are the least likely to say this. Latinos (89%) are far more likely than whites (58%) and women (73%) are more likely than men (64%) to favor allowing immigrants to keep their jobs in the United States.

What’s the reason for so much support for undocumented immigrants on the West Coast?
It’s a combination of factors. Besides positive experiences with a diverse number of immigrants and a generally liberal point of view (majority of Californians also support legalizing pot), another PPIC study discovered that a majority of Californians were undocumented at one time or another.

We have friends and family members who are undocumented so it makes sense to favor their legalization. This also goes to say that the more people learn about us and come to know us personally, the more they will be moved and empathize with our cause.