Pew Research asked, “Do you think having an increasing number of people of many different races, ethnic groups and nationalities in our country makes this country a better place to live, a worse place to live or doesn’t make much difference either way?”

Some 58% Americans say increasing diversity makes the country a better place to live, compared with just 7% who say it makes the U.S. a worse place to live and 33% saying it doesn’t make a difference either way. Liberals agree by 74%; conservatives, by 47%. The U.S, is far more relaxed than are Europeans. In European countries, only about 30% of conservatives agree; the left in Europe agrees only about 40%

Politics sharpens division where it is possible to do so. In the U.S., the division over foreigners most ripe for politicization is illegal immigration. On that, the liberal – conservative divide is much larger.