Most Americans believe all babies born in the country should be automatically granted citizenship, according to a new poll.
according to a reuters/The Ipsos poll was conducted as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on President Donald Trump’s effort to end the practice.
The high court is set to rule in the coming weeks on a range of polarizing issues from immigration policy and transgender rights to rules for counting mail-in ballots — which could help define the Republican president’s legacy and set key rules for the Nov. 3 general election.
The poll, conducted across the country April 15–20, found that 64% of Americans oppose ending birthright citizenship, while 32% support ending it, as Trump ordered, in January 2025.
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Trump’s executive order was challenged in court, and Supreme Court justices are expected to issue a ruling by the end of June in what would be a landmark civil rights case and a test for Trump’s radical immigration agenda. The high court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, appeared unlikely to side with Trump during oral arguments on April 1.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that public perception of birthright citizenship is divided along party lines. Only 9% of Democrats think the policy should be ended, but Republicans are divided, with 62% supporting ending birthright citizenship and 36% favoring maintaining it.
The Supreme Court often issues high-profile decisions in May and June as it nears the end of its annual term.
Transgender Athletes:
In the cases from Idaho and West Virginia, the court is expected to allow states to pass laws restricting participation in women’s sports by transgender athletes.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll found widespread support for restrictions on transgender girls and women competing in women’s school and college sports, a topic that has become a political issue.
About 67% of survey respondents supported banning transgender people from competing in female school sports.
While 92% of Republicans said they support such restrictions compared to 44% of Democrats.
The court will also consider whether states can count mail-in ballots that are postmarked on Election Day but received days later. About 65% of respondents said they support counting mail-in ballots that are marked by Election Day, even if they arrive a few days late.
Four Republican-held seats in the House of Representatives.
85 percent of Democrats said they support such an approach to counting mail-in ballots, compared to 51% of Republicans.
Louisiana House districts:
Another case will determine the constitutionality of the Louisiana map of congressional districts that was drawn to increase the number of black-majority districts in the state from one to two in order to increase the representation of black voters.
A group of white voters wants the Supreme Court to block the map, arguing that it is too guided by racial considerations.
The public’s views on this matter are nuanced. Nearly 75% of survey respondents – including 65% of Black respondents – said race should not be considered when drawing congressional maps. But nearly five in 10 respondents — and six in 10 black respondents — said they believe communities that share characteristics, including race, should be represented in the same congressional district.
The court has issued major decisions in recent years that have expanded gun rights, rejected race-conscious college admissions, and curbed the power of federal agencies. Its conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump during his first term.
American views on the Supreme Court have become more partisan over the past five years. Nearly 70% of Republicans viewed the court favorably in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in March, compared with 27% of Democrats. In a December 2021 Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted several months before the court was scheduled to overturn nationwide abortion rights in 2022, 66% of Republicans said they liked the court, compared with 55% of Democrats.
The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll on the Supreme Court was conducted online and collected responses from 4,557 American adults. The margin of error was about 2 percentage points.
