September 23, 2009

Rio Grande Guardian News

Mexicans give their views on the economy, in new Pew Research poll

LA JOYA - A new poll by the Pew Research Center shows more Mexican workers are leaving the U.S. because of the downturn in the economy.

The study confirms what teachers at La Joya school district have been reporting - that many of the parents of children at area schools are finding life in the U.S. more problematic and therefore deciding to return to Mexico.

According to the poll, four-in-ten Mexicans say they know someone who left for the U.S. but returned because they could not find a job, although even more (47 percent) report knowing someone who returned because they were turned back by the border patrol.

Of those surveyed, 69 percent of Mexicans say the current economy is bad. However, most are upbeat about the future in their home country, with 61 percent expecting the national economy to improve over the next 12 months. Only 14 percent think it will get worse.

The close ties between people in the U.S. and Mexico are reflected in the survey's findings - 39 percent of Mexicans have friends or relatives in the U.S. Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) Mexicans say they receive money from relatives living in another country, although this represents a slight decline from 2007, when 23 percent said they received money from outside.

The study was conducted by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 1,000 adults in Mexico between May 26 and June 2, 2009

Facing a variety of national problems - crime, drugs, corruption, a troubled economy - Mexicans overwhelmingly are dissatisfied with the direction of their country, the report states.

With drug-related violence affecting much of Mexico, large majorities describe crime (81 percent) and illegal drugs (73 percent) as very big problems, and Mexicans overwhelmingly endorse President Felipe Calderón's tough stance against drug traffickers.

Most believe life is better in the United States, the study shows. Close to six-in-ten (57 percent) say that people who move from Mexico enjoy a better life in the U.S., up from 51 percent in 2007. And, the vast majority of those who are in regular contact with friends and relatives living in the U.S. say those friends and relatives have largely achieved their goals.

A substantial minority of Mexicans say that if they had the means and opportunity to go live in the U.S. they would do so, and more than half of those who would migrate if they had the chance say they would do so without authorization, the study shows.

Click here to view the Pew Research poll findings.

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