In spite of high unemployment in the United States and strict border enforcement, one- third of Mexicans say they would move north if they could, and more than half of those would move even if they did not have legal immigration documents, according to a survey published Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.
The United States continues to exert a powerful attraction for Mexicans, the survey found, with 57 percent saying that those who settle in the United States have better lives, while 14 percent say life is worse in the U.S.
Nearly half of those surveyed said they knew someone who had tried to reach the U.S. but returned home after being caught at the border. Four in 10 said they knew someone who had returned home because they could not find a job.
The survey of 1,000 adults conducted May 26-June 2 has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
