Veterans and Citizens Initiative
10 November 2021
Polling Firm: YouGov
Sample Size: n=1,500 US Adults (nationally representative)
Fieldwork Dates: August 26-September 1, 2022
Margin of Error: +/- 2.5 for US avg.
September 15, 2022
Veterans and Citizens Initiative
American Identity
In August 2022, a group of bipartisan legislators introduced the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, which will allow certain US-affiliated and at-risk Afghans to apply to live in the United States permanently. Based on our survey conducted among 1,500 Americans, this report explores the public’s familiarity and attitudes towards the Afghan Adjustment Act.
Polling Firm: YouGov
Sample Size: n=1,500 US Adults (nationally representative)
Fieldwork Dates: August 26-September 1, 2022
Margin of Error: +/- 2.5 for US avg.
of Americans believe the US should take in Afghans.
of Americans who support the AAA believe the US has a duty to help US-affiliated and at-risk Afghans.
the increase in percentage points of Americans who support the AAA after being given information ho w veteran groups support the legislation.
On August 30, 2021, the US ended its military engagement with Afghanistan. In the preceding weeks, and in the weeks after the US finished its evacuation, tens of thousands of US-affiliated and at-risk Afghans were evacuated to the United States. Many of these Afghans had served alongside the US military.
Many US-affiliated and at-risk Afghans were granted entry and temporary legal status via humanitarian parole. Humanitarian parole gives them the right to live and work in the United States temporarily but offers no direct path to permanent residence or US Citizenship. Many Afghans must now seek a more permanent status. Common pathways to permanent residency, like the asylum system or Special Immigrant Visa process (SIV), face severe backlogs, long processing times and/or strict eligibility requirements, making them out of reach for many.
In August 2022, a group of bipartisan legislators introduced the Afghan Adjustment Act (S. 4787/H.R. 8685) in the US Senate and House of Representatives, which will allow certain US-affiliated and at-risk Afghans to apply to live in the United States permanently. This report explores the American public’s familiarity and attitudes towards the Afghan Adjustment Act.
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