AUSTIN (KXAN) — A recent poll, partially focused on border policy, asked Texas voters to assess Texas’ policies on the border with Mexico, including the buoys in the Rio Grande River.

The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin conducted the poll Aug. 18-29 through YouGov on the internet. It included responses from 1,200 people who said they were registered to vote.

The poll found a majority of Texas voters (52%) supported “placing buoys and barbed wire at the Rio Grande River to deter migration” while 40% of voters opposed.

According to the poll, among Republicans, 88% supported the policy, with 73% expressing strong support, and 10% opposed it. The poll also found that among Democrats, 18% supported the policy and 74% expressed opposition.

A recent University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll, partially focused on border policy, asked Texas voters to assess Texas’ policies on the border with Mexico, including the buoys in the Rio Grande River. Source: August 2023 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll
A recent University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll, partially focused on border policy, asked Texas voters to assess Texas’ policies on the border with Mexico, including the buoys in the Rio Grande River. Source: August 2023 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll

The poll had a margin of error of +/- 2.83%

A federal judge recently ordered Texas to remove the buoys after the state was sued by the federal government, but the buoys will remain in place while an appeal from the state moves forward.

Other poll findings

The poll also assessed Texans’ current opinion on former President Donald Trump.

“Overall, 41% of Texas voters reported a favorable view of Trump while 51% had an unfavorable view, with the small remainder offering no opinion,” the poll states. Opinions about the former president were “polarized,” the poll said.

“86% of Democrats hold unfavorable views of the former president (81% very unfavorable), while 7% hold a favorable view. Among Republicans, 79% hold a favorable view (55% very favorable), while 15% view Trump unfavorably,” the poll stated.