In this week’s column for Figuring Faith, I examine the data on Americans’ attitudes toward Muslims and immigration reform. After the revelation that the two leading suspects in Boston bombing were Chechen Muslim immigrants to the U.S., there has been much discussion about the link between the terrorist bombings in Boston and the recently introduced immigration reform bill, sparking especially heated debate among Republican leaders. Our recent survey shows, however, that the public’s concerns about immigration reform and national security do not translate into opposition to a path to citizenship for immigrants who are currently living illegally in the U.S.:

Neither Americans who say promoting national security is a very or extremely important value nor Americans who believe Muslims are changing the country for the worse connect those beliefs strongly with opposition to immigration reform. Among Americans who say that promoting national security is very or extremely important, 67 percent support a path to citizenship. Similarly, among Americans who believe Muslims are changing the country for the worse, 57 percent nonetheless favor a path to citizenship for immigrants who are currently living in the U.S. illegally. Even among Americans who believe Muslims are changing the country for the worse AND who say promoting national security is very or extremely important, a majority (55 percent) favor a path to citizenship.

Read the full column online at my Washington Post blog, Figuring Faith.