News & Media

Official English Legislation Remains Popular in Texas, Survey Finds

78 percent of likely voters favor common language legislation

More than three-in-four Texans support making English the official language of the state according to a new poll from Zogby International. The survey found that 78 percent of Lone Star State residents favor legislation that would limit government multilingualism and unite the state under the common language of English. The poll, which was conducted from July 21-23, indicated that just 20 percent of Texans oppose such a bill, with the remaining two percent undecided. 

The poll found strong support for an official English policy in every region of the state, including 79 percent support in the Houston metropolitan area and 77 percent support in Dallas. More than nine-in-ten Republicans favored making English the official language of the state, as did three-in-four Independents and six-in-ten Democrats. The survey of 803 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. 

During the 2007 legislative session, two measures were introduced to make English the official language of Texas, H.J.R. 83 and H.B. 2205. These bills, the first official English-related measures to be introduced in the Lone Star State in more than a decade, did not pass out of committee before the session expired. Proponents have vowed to re-introduce official English legislation when the legislature convenes in early 2009. Currently, 30 states have adopted English as the official language of the state. 

“The strong support for official English legislation demonstrates that Texas residents are looking for measures that bring people together, not separate them along language lines,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “I look forward to working with legislators to pass a bill that will promote sensible government and English acquisition for the benefit of all Texans.”

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.