{"id":200376,"date":"2025-02-21T10:52:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&#038;p=200376"},"modified":"2026-05-01T11:41:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:41:33","slug":"trumps-executive-order-on-birthright-citizenship-draws-more-disapproval-than-approval","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/02\/21\/trumps-executive-order-on-birthright-citizenship-draws-more-disapproval-than-approval\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s executive order on birthright citizenship draws more disapproval than approval"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The day he returned to the White House in January, President Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship\/\">signed an executive order<\/a> that would <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/15-states-challenge-trumps-executive-order-cutting-birthright\/story?id=117945455\">redefine birthright citizenship<\/a>. The order argues that children born in the United States are citizens only if they have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. Trump\u2019s directive would mark a significant shift from how birthright citizenship has been applied for more than 150 years in the U.S., and it is currently being challenged in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/sanfrancisco\/news\/trump-birthright-citizenship-order-judge-blocks\/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h\">multiple federal courts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-style-plus-icon has-border-color has-ui-gray-light-border-color has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background has-sans-serif-font-family is-layout-flow wp-container-core-details-is-layout-61b01db2 wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:1px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);font-size:clamp(0.875em, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 0.2em) * 0.009), 0.88em);\"><summary>How we did this<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand the public\u2019s views of President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order on birthright citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this analysis, we surveyed 5,086 adults from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/our-methods\/u-s-surveys\/the-american-trends-panel\/\">Read more about the ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_questionnaire.pdf\">questions used for this analysis<\/a>, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_topline.pdf\">responses<\/a>, and its <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2025\/02\/20\/top-national-problems-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=200379\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ecebe6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_1.png?resize=480,347 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_1.png?resize=782,566 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_1.png?resize=840,608 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"463\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_1.png?w=640\" alt=\"A diverging bar chart showing that more Americans disapprove than approve of Trump\u2019s executive order on birthright citizenship.\" class=\"wp-image-200379 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ecebe6; width:420px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Overall, 56% of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump\u2019s executive order on birthright citizenship, while 43% approve,<\/strong> according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Disapproval is also stronger than approval: 40% of adults <em>strongly <\/em>disapprove<em>,<\/em> while 23% <em>strongly <\/em>approve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Most Democrats disapprove of the order, while most Republicans approve of it.<\/strong> Yet Democratic disapproval is more widespread and more intense than Republican approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>84% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents disapprove of the order, including 68% who <em>strongly<\/em> disapprove.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>72% of Republicans and Republican leaners approve of the executive order, including 42% who <em>strongly<\/em> approve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"views-of-executive-order-vary-by-race-and-ethnicity-age\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Views of executive order vary by race and ethnicity, age<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Race and ethnicity<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Black, Hispanic and Asian adults are more likely to disapprove than approve of Trump\u2019s order on citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=200381\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eae8df\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_2.png?resize=480,578 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_2.png?resize=782,942 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_2.png?resize=840,1012 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"771\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_2.png?w=640\" alt=\"A diverging bar chart showing that majorities of Black and Hispanic adults disapprove of Trump\u2019s birthright citizenship executive order.\" class=\"wp-image-200381 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eae8df; width:420px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disapproval is particularly widespread among Black (74%) and Hispanic (70%) adults. A narrower majority of Asian adults (56%) also disapprove. (Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White adults are split on the executive order: 51% approve and 49% disapprove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"age\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Age<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adults under 30 are the least likely age group to approve of Trump\u2019s executive order: Just 36% approve, while 63% disapprove. Those ages 30 to 49 are also less likely to approve than disapprove of the order (41% vs. 59%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Views are about equally divided among adults ages 50 and older: 48% approve, 52% disapprove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"among-republicans-approval-of-executive-order-differs-by-race-and-ethnicity-age\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Among Republicans, approval of executive order differs by race and ethnicity, age<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across racial and ethnic and age groups, Republicans generally approve of Trump\u2019s executive order on birthright citizenship, while Democrats across these groups do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"race-and-ethnicity\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Race and ethnicity<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=200380\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f0f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"1136\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_3.png?resize=480,879 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_3.png?resize=620,1136 620w\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_3.png?w=620\" alt=\"A dot plot showing that Hispanic and younger Republicans are less likely than others in GOP to approve of Trump\u2019s birthright citizenship order.\" class=\"wp-image-200380 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f0f0; width:310px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Republicans, there are differences in views by race and ethnicity. While 77% of White Republicans approve of the order, that drops to 63% among Asian Republicans and 53% among Hispanic Republicans. (Estimates are not available for Black Republicans due to sample size.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump\u2019s order regardless of race or ethnicity. Only about three-in-ten Asian Democrats (29%) and two-in-ten Black Democrats (20%) say they approve. Even smaller shares of White (14%) and Hispanic (12%) Democrats say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"age\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Age<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Majorities of Republicans across age groups approve of Trump\u2019s order. But Republicans under 30 are less likely than older Republicans to do so: 59% approve, compared with 71% of those ages 30 to 49 and 78% of those 50 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are virtually no age differences in these views among Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: Here are the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_questionnaire.pdf\">questions used for this analysis<\/a>, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/SR_25.02.21_birthright_topline.pdf\">responses<\/a>, and its <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2025\/02\/20\/top-national-problems-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overall, 56% of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump\u2019s executive order on birthright citizenship, while 43% approve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":200402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-02-21T15:52:40Z","apple_news_api_id":"92cc323f-e716-4833-b06c-6a59d7dbc7a4","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-05-01T15:41:46Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AkswyP-cWSDOwbGpZ19vHpA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"bylines":[{"key":"_qej3w0sw9","termId":896},{"key":"_49j0m19f7","termId":544}],"acknowledgements":[],"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[133,25],"bylines":[896,544],"collection":[],"datasets":[3052],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[520],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-200376","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-citizenship","category-politics-policy","bylines-baxter-oliphant","bylines-joseph-copeland","datasets-american-trends-panel-wave-161","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-politics"],"label":"Short 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