# Most Americans guess between 5,000 and 100,000 people are in immigration detention

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/politics/most-americans-guess-between-5-000-and-100-000-people-are-in-immigration-detention/

> Indexed question in Politics.

## Reading

Most Americans (57%) guess the number of people held in U.S. immigration detention falls between 5,000 and 100,000, according to a January 2024 Verasight survey.

About a third (32%) put the figure above 100,000, while roughly one-in-nine (11%) estimate fewer than 5,000.

## Topline

If you had to guess, how many people are being held in immigration detention centers across the U.S. right now?

Most Americans guess between 5,000 and 100,000 people are in immigration detention.

- 5,000 to 100,000: 57.2%
- Over 100,000: 31.5%
- Less than 5,000: 11.3%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: United States adults
- Field dates: 2024-01-18 → 2024-01-24
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.5%
- Module: Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://www.verasight.io/post/verasights-supports-academic-and-nonprofit-researchers](https://www.verasight.io/post/verasights-supports-academic-and-nonprofit-researchers)

## Citation

Verasight Interdisciplinary Omnibus Survey #2024-006, fielded January 18-24, 2024, N=1,000 United States adults, +/- 3.5%.

Canonical question URL: [https://www.verasight.io/post/verasights-supports-academic-and-nonprofit-researchers](https://www.verasight.io/post/verasights-supports-academic-and-nonprofit-researchers)