Wide Majority of Americans Support Passage of Official English

Latest Poll Shows 82 Percent Support for Unity Under One Common Language

Americans continue to support making English the official language of the United States according to a nationwide poll released today by U.S. English, Inc. The results of the survey conducted by Zogby International found that 82 percent of Americans are in favor of uniting our country under one common language, English.

“In an election year, our elected officials should heed the call of the voters,” said U.S. English, Inc. Chairman Mauro E. Mujica. “Americans know that passing official English legislation is a winning situation for our government, our citizens and our citizens-to-be. The widespread support for official English shows that people are well aware of the economic and social cost of government multilingualism.

“As a nation of immigrants, we have always moved forward with English,” explained Mujica, who immigrated from Chile in 1965. “It appears that the only group that does not realize the benefit of a common language are our political leaders.” Despite the passage of several successful bills in the House and Senate, the United States remains one of just 15 nations on the globe without an official language.

In the 108th Congress, more than 100 Representatives have worked to remedy this situation, signing on as co-sponsors of H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act. Introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-IA), this bi-partisan legislation would make English the official language of the United States government while providing common sense exceptions for public safety, trade and tourism. Despite ranking as one of the most widely supported bills in the 108th Congress, the House has stalled on bringing the measure up for a vote.

“The need for a common language policy has never been greater,” explained Mujica, citing Census 2000 statistics that found 21.3 million Americans, or more than 1-in-12, is limited English proficient and that 31.1 million Americans were born outside of the United States. “Every year, millions of newcomers follow the arduous road to citizenship, bringing the best of their cultures and their values to our welcoming shores. In order to continue our nation’s proud history of sharing, we need to share a common language.

“This poll shows that we need to put away the fallacies and work toward the common goal. H.R. 997 would not affect languages spoken at home, in the church or in the office. It would, however, ensure the cohesiveness of our nation, giving every American the chance at the corner office or perhaps, the Oval Office.”

Conducted by Zogby International in January 2004, the poll of 1,000 nationwide likely voters has a margin of error of ±3.2 percent. Key findings include:

• Majority support for official English was recorded among every subset of the population, including African-Americans, Hispanics and divisions by political affiliation, gender, religion, marital status, education level and income level.

• The poll marks the eighth consecutive U.S. English poll to find more than 78 percent support for making English the official language of the United States. Prior polls in 2002, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1993, 1991 and 1988 all found between 78 and 87 percent of the population in favor of such legislation.

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.us-english.org) now has more than 2 million members.