New Poll Shows 83 Percent of Americans Support Official English

Zogby International survey finds 2-in-3 Americans strongly support measure

Five-in-six Americans support making English the official language of the United States, according to a new Zogby International poll released today. The survey of 993 likely voters found that 83 percent of Americans favor official English legislation, with 67 percent strongly supporting such a bill. The survey was conducted May 17-20, 2007 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

“Let there be no doubt – the vast majority of the population supports making English the official language,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “In a nation that has long prided itself on being a nation of immigrants, Americans understand that the bond of the English language is what has brought those diverse people together as one. They expect that the government should continue promoting the ideals of assimilation instead of separating people along language lines.”

According to the survey, strong support for official English stretches across regional, educational and party lines. More than seven-in-ten Democrats and nine-in-ten Republicans were favorable to official English legislation, as were more than eight-in-ten Independents. Three-in-four Hispanics indicated support for the measure, marking the third poll in the last seven months to find in excess of 60 percent support among Hispanics.

Legislation to make English the official language of the United States is currently pending in both the House and Senate. In the House, Rep. Steve King has introduced H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act of 2007. The bill has the support of more than 100 bi-partisan co-sponsors and is currently pending in House committee. In the Senate, Sen. James Inhofe has introduced S. 1335, the S.I. Hayakawa Official Language Act. Both measures aim to reduce the amount of government multilingualism while stressing English learning among new immigrants.

“We cannot continue our society’s tradition as a melting pot if we do not embrace the common language that allows assimilation to occur,” added Mujica. “As our nation continues to discuss assimilation and immigration policy, I hope that official English will provide a consensus starting point for fruitful and beneficial negotiations.”

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.