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On behalf of World Relief, we would like to invite you to participate in a study on faith, immigrants, and immigration conducted by Dr. Ruth Melkonian-Hoover of Gordon College and her research team.
You are part of a congregation that would like to learn more about these issues. This survey will take approximately 15 – 20 minutes.
Purpose of the study: The attitudes of Christians about immigrants and immigration are quite complex and diverse. This research study aims to understand the range of opinions on these topics within Christian communities. We are interested in learning not only what you believe, but also why you believe what you do, in your own words.
How it works: This survey offers many ways in which you can express your opinions; it provides a wide range of alternative attitudes that you can choose to identify or not identify with. Additionally, there are multiple open-ended spaces for you to share distinct opinions and ideas that may not have already been expressed in the survey. Some questions are derived from previous national surveys to enable comparison with national findings; we hope you are not put off by the wording of those questions. To be clear, this study does not presume to already know exactly where you are coming from or why; the hope is that through this survey, every participant will have the chance to share where he or she stands.
Confidentiality: Your participation in this research is voluntary. You have the right to decline to participate or withdraw at any time, even after starting the survey. You can also decline to answer any individual questions without explanation. All your responses will be kept confidential. We are using a secure system to collect this data. While we can't completely eliminate risk of hacking, we are minimizing risk by identifying you with a number only in our records. Anonymous findings will be shared with participating congregations in the aggregate and used for academic research purposes. No identifying facts about you or your congregation will appear when we present this study or publish its results.*
Risks and benefits: There are no expected risks or discomforts associated with participating in this survey. You will not be compensated in return for your participation. You will not be compensated in return for participation. However, as a thank you for completing the survey, we will offer you an e-course on faith and immigration by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
If you agree to the above, please give your consent with our first question, and begin the survey.
On behalf of the World Relief research team,
Ruth Melkonian-Hoover, PhD
Principal Investigator, World Relief Research Initiative
Professor, Political Science, Gordon College
* If you have questions about this study, please feel free to email me: ruth.melkonian@gordon.edu

World Relief Research Initiative Team
Damon Schroeder, US Mobilization Director, World Relief dschroeder@wr.org
Alan Cross, Pastor, Doctoral Candidate, Fuller Seminary, across@bbbimmigration.org
Wayne Denny, Church and CE Director, World Relief Memphis, wdenny@wr.org
Stacy Keogh George, Assoc Professor, Sociology, Whitworth University, sgeorge@whitworth.edu
Jamie Goodwin, Asst Professor, Humanitarian Disaster Institute, Wheaton College, Jamie.goodwin@wheaton.edu
Ryan Klejment-Lavin, Assoc Professor, Intercultural studies, Columbia International University, ryan.klejment-lavin@ciu.edu
Terry McGonigal, Former Dean of Spiritual Life, Whitworth University, tmcgonical@whitworth.edu

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* 1. I have read the consent and agree to participate in this study.

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* 2. What influences your thinking about immigration? Check all that apply.

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* 3. What has influenced your thinking about about immigration the MOST?

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* 4. If you have recently changed your views about immigration (e.g., within the last decade), what was the FIRST thing that shifted your view?

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* 5. How often do you engage with immigrants?

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* 6. If you interact with immigrants, where do you do so? Check all that apply.

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* 7. Would you describe your interactions with immigrants as generally positive, negative, or both?

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* 8. Does your church engage with immigrants in any of the following ways? Check all that apply.

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* 9. If your church is engaging with immigrants, how long has it been doing so?

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* 10. What portion of your church is made up of immigrants (people born outside the U.S.)?

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* 11. Have you been asked to engage in outreach with immigrants through your church? 

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* 12. If you've been asked to engage in outreach with immigrants through your church, were you invited by any of the following people? Check all that apply.

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* 13. Do you yourself volunteer with immigrants and/or refugees in any way, whether at your church or elsewhere?

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* 14. If you are currently volunteering with immigrants, how often do you do so?

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* 15. If you volunteer with immigrants or refugees, how long have you been doing so?

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* 16. If you DO volunteer with immigrants, what events or experiences played a significant role in your decision to do so? Check all that apply.

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* 17. If you do NOT volunteer with immigrants, what makes it difficult to do so? Check all that apply.

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* 18. If you do NOT volunteer with immigrants, would any of the following make it more likely for you to do so?  Check all that apply.

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* 19. Have you gone through training to engage with immigrants and refugees? Check all that apply.

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* 20. If your church is engaged in this work, how has working with immigrants affected you and your church? Check all that apply.

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* 21. If your church works with immigrants, what reasons do you think it does so? Check all that apply.

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* 22. How would you feel if a leader in your church spoke about immigration in church?

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* 23. Have you heard sermons or Sunday school classes about immigration in your church?

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* 24. Have you heard stories about immigration in conversations in your church?

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* 25. Do you talk about immigration with other people in your church?

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* 26. Do you think most people in your congregation agree or disagree with the following statements?

  Strongly agree Agree Undecided/no opinion Disagree Strongly disagree
Immigrants strengthen the US because of their hard work and talents
Immigrants burden the US by taking jobs, housing, and healthcare

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* 27. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

  Strongly agree Agree Undecided/no opinion Disagree Strongly disagree
Immigrants strengthen the US because of their hard work and talents
Immigrants burden the US by taking jobs, housing, and healthcare

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* 28. The number of recent immigrants to the US results in? Check all that apply.

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* 29. Should federal funding to tighten border security to prevent illegal immigration be

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* 30. Which of the following BEST enables a secure national border?

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* 31. Do you think immigration reform legislation should establish a path to apply for legal status for those here illegally who meet qualifications?

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* 32. Which comes CLOSEST to your view about what government policy should be toward unauthorized immigrants now living in the US?

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* 33. Would you support an immigration reform law that increases border security and establishes a process for immigrants here illegally to earn legal status?

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* 34. What should happen to immigrants who were brought to the US illegally as children and have lived here for at least 10 years and graduated high school here (aka Dreamers)?

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* 35. Do you think the number of immigrants from foreign countries permitted to come to the US to live should be?

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* 36. Do you agree or disagree that the US government has a responsibility to accept any of the following?

  Strongly agree Agree Undecided/no opinion Disagree Strongly disagree
Refugees fleeing religious persecution
Refugees fleeing political persecution
Refugees fleeing war
Migrants fleeing violence (e.g., gang)
Migrants fleeing poverty
Migrants fleeing natural disasters

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* 37. Do you think Christians have a responsibility to advocate to change immigration policies?

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* 38. In the last 12 months, have you lobbied or marched to support either of the following? Check all that apply.

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* 39. Returning to the church, do churches have a moral responsibility to help immigrants even if they're here illegally?

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* 40. Are you part of a congregation?

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* 41. If you are part of a congregation, what is its name?

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* 42. If you are part of a congregation, how long have you been involved in it?

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* 43. How often do you attend church

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* 44. Which of these terms would you use to describe yourself? Check all that apply.

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* 45. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

  Strongly agree Agree Undecided/no opinion Disagree Strongly disagree
The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe
It is very important for me to personally encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior
Jesus Christ's death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin
Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God's free gift of eternal salvation.

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* 46. Which of the following comes closest to your view of the Bible?

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* 47. How often do you read the Bible?

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* 48. How often do you pray?

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* 49. Politically, do you consider yourself any of the following?

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* 50. If you do you not consider yourself a member of a major political party, do you lean toward one party or another?

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* 51. In general, would you describe your political views as

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* 52. Are you or were your parents or grandparents immigrants to the US? Check all that apply

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* 53. If you or your parents or grandparents migrated to the US, where did you or they emigrate from?

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* 54. If you or your parents or grandparents are not immigrants to the US, where did your family originate?

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* 55. We'd like to get your feelings toward various groups in American society. In the list that follows, please rate groups using this feeling thermometer. Ratings between 50-100 degrees mean that you feel favorable and warm toward the group. Ratings between 0-50 mean that you don't feel favorable toward or don't care much for the group.  You would rate a group at 50 if you don't feel particularly warm or cold toward the group. If you come to a group whose name you don't recognize, you don't need to rate it. Just skip to the next one.

  0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Muslims
Asian immigrants
Unauthorized immigrants
European immigrants
African immigrants
The Christian Right
Hispanic immigrants
African-Americans
Middle Easterners
Evangelicals
LGBTQ people
Native Americans
Jews
Atheists
Republicans
Democrats

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* 56. The following questions are for statistical purposes only. What is your age?

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* 57. What is your race/ethnicity?

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* 58. What is your gender?

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* 59. What is your education level?

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* 60. In what state do you live?

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* 61. Is there anything else you'd like to share?

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