Poll: Majority think number of illegal entries to U.S. will grow

NEW YORK, June 26 (UPI) -- Nearly half of Americans say it is extremely likely many illegal immigrants will enter the country in the next five years, a Harris poll indicated Wednesday.

In its online poll on the likelihood of 15 scenarios, results indicated 45 percent of Americans said they believe it was extremely likely a large number of undocumented immigrants would enter the country, followed by 38 percent saying they thought it is extremely likely the national government becomes unable to borrow money because of its debt load.

Harris said about a third of Americans said they think each the following is extremely likely: a significant loss of jobs to foreign countries, a significant natural disaster destroying large areas of a major city and significant trade imbalances leading to foreign ownership of the country's debts and property.

Three in 10 Americans said they thought it would be extremely likely that a major stock market crash would occur during the next five years and energy needs will significantly exceed energy supplies.

At the bottom of this list, three in 10 Americans say they don't think it's likely a U.S. city would be attacked with a nuclear weapon, a major world war involving most industrialized nations would be declared or the level of the oceans will rise significantly in the next five years.

Results are based on an online survey of 2,240 adults between May 8-13. No margin of error was provided.