Attributes Associated with Postdoctoral Fellows and Views of Immigration: A Preliminary Analysis Using the General Social Survey

While research on supporting undocumented immigrants and undocumented students within higher education has examined the opinions of students, faculty, and staff, there is a gap in the literature when it comes to postdoctoral fellows.  This study used data from the General Social Survey to examine whether respondents’ attributes,including holding a possible postdoctoral position, predicted views of “illegal” immigration, and whether immigrants should have the same education as Americans.  Findings suggested that a combination of respondents’ attributes predicted these views.  Results also suggested that the odds of being more supportive of undocumented immigrants were higher for minorities and for non-U.S. citizens.  In addition, being anon-U.S. citizen and having a graduate degree each increased the odds that respondents would support immigrant education. This study contributes to the literature on understanding attitudes toward immigration by conducting a preliminary analysis on the views of an overlooked group within the academy: postdoctoral fellows.<o:p></o:p>