Nearly Two-in-Three Americans Oppose Making Spanish an Official Language

A new poll released by Angus Reid Strategies finds that Americans generally oppose the possibility of Spanish becoming an official language in the United States. The survey of 1,011 American adults found 64 percent against official Spanish, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Only 28 percent of those surveyed favored the idea.

“Our citizens understand that the United States is not a nation of just English-speaking residents and Spanish-speaking residents,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “We are a nation of speakers of hundreds of different languages, all united by the common bond of English. The idea of government elevating a second language above all others is an affront to our diverse nation and our long history of immigration from across the world.”

The Angus Reid Strategies survey is part of a long-standing trend showing that while the United States continues to be a nation of immigrants, Americans overwhelmingly support making English the sole official language of the United States. For more than 20 years, polls have repeatedly found that more than three-quarters of Americans favor official English, including a 2009 survey by Rasmussen Reports which revealed 84 percent in support of such a policy. Legislation currently pending in Congress, The English Language Unity Act (H.R. 997) has bi-partisan support from more than one-quarter of the House of Representatives.

In a separate question on the survey, 67 percent of Americans said they would favor a law “in which store owners must post signs with English displayed more prominently than other languages.” Support for the proposal was remarkably consistent among Americans regardless of party affiliation, with 67 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Independents in agreement. The Angus Reid Strategies poll was conducted June 13-15, 2009 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.