A slim majority of Utahns say they don’t support President Donald Trump’s plans to build a wall on the U.S. Mexico border.
The new UtahPolicy.com survey from Dan Jones & Associates finds 55% of Utahns oppose building the wall. That number includes 40% who say they are “strongly” opposed. 42% of Utahns say they support constructing the barrier.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, President Trump repeatedly promised that Mexico would pay for the construction of the border wall. That promise quickly ran into reality as Mexican officials said that country would not cough up the money.
Trump’s mechanism for funding the wall has morphed over time. At one point, Trump said the U.S. would recoup the construction costs from Mexico through increased tariffs. Now he’s asking Congress to make good on his campaign promise by allocating $25 billion for construction of the wall. Trump reportedly lost his temper during a private meeting over the Senate’s plan to only allocate $1.6 billion for the wall. During that meeting, Trump allegedly threatened to shut the government down in September.
Republicans are much more supportive of the wall, with 63% favoring its construction and 33% opposed. 93% of Utah Democrats oppose building the border wall, as are 69% of political independents.
There’s a significant difference of opinions on the wall among Utah’s faithful.
- 51% of “very active” Mormons favor building the wall, while 46% are opposed.
- 48% of “somewhat active” members of the LDS Church support the wall. 49% are against it.
- 59% of inactive Mormons oppose the wall.
- 76% of Utah Catholics oppose constructing the border wall.
- 53% of Utah Protestants oppose the wall’s construction.
It’s surprising that very faithful members of the LDS Church support construction of the border wall, given the Church’s extensive missionary program around the globe.
Utahns on the right side of the political spectrum are more supportive of the wall than those who are toward the center or left politically.
- 82% of self-described “very conservative” Utahns support building the border wall.
- 53% of those who say they are “somewhat conservative” back the border wall, while 40% of that group is opposed.
- 70% of political moderates in Utah are against Trump’s wall.
- 92% of “somewhat liberal” Utahns disagree with the border wall.
- 97% of “very liberal” Utahns say they disagree with the wall, including 96% who are “strongly opposed.”
The Dan Jones & Associates survey was conducted May 15-25, 2018 among 615 likely voters in Utah. It has a margin of error of 4-percent.
