President Donald Trump's executive order to temporarily ban travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. is undoubtedly controversial, sparking both cheers and protests across the country.
Now, a new poll from Reuters/Ipsos confirms Americans are effectively split over the travel ban.
Based on the responses of more than 1,200 Americans across all 50 states surveyed Monday and Tuesday, including 453 Democrats and 478 Republicans, only 31 percent of U.S. adults feel the ban makes them safer.
Meanwhile, 26 percent said it actually makes them feel less safe.
A majority of respondents (33 percent) said the ban wouldn't make any difference, while one out of 10 is unsure.
Nearly half of the Americans polled (49 percent) said they agree with Trump's order, while 41 percent disapprove.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the poll unveiled a correlation between party affiliation and sentiment, with 53 percent of Democrats indicating that they strongly disagree with the travel ban and 51 percent of Republicans saying they strongly approve.
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The Reuters/lpsos opinion poll also found that Democrats were more than three times as likely as Republicans to agree with the statement that the "U.S. should continue to take in immigrants and refugees," while Republicans were more than three times as likely as Democrats to agree that "banning people from Muslim countries is necessary to prevent terrorism."
Interestingly, that same split can be seen among leading travel organizations.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) urged Trump to "reconsider the ban" in a statement from its president and CEO David Scowsill. On the other hand, U.S. Travel Association (USTA) CEO Roger Dow said "we stand ready to support the administration and Congress" to achieve the "right balance between security and facilitation."
Nonetheless, both the USTA and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) urged the Trump Administration to conduct its review of visa issuance protocols quickly.
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