Survey: 80 percent of immigrants try to learn English

Another survey proving immigrants want and try to learn our language. DP

Obstacles include difficulty of task, fear or a lack of time, child care

By Jennifer W. Sanchez, The Salt Lake Tribune

sltrib.com: Nowadays, it's common to hear some people rant about how immigrants don't want to learn English.

But, according to a recent United Way of Salt Lake survey, more than 80 percent of immigrants and refugees say they have formally tried to learn English.

There is no question that immigrants want to learn English and there are many programs to teach them, but the language barrier is not the sole challenge in helping them succeed in Utah, community leaders say.

The United Way released a 40-page report this month called Building on Common Ground: A Framework for Immigrant Integration. It includes a survey conducted by De la Cruz and Associates, a Midvale-based company.

According to the report, the top barriers that make it hard for immigrants to learn English are:
* A lack of time
* Difficulty
* A lack of child care
* Fear

Many immigrants are working multiple jobs, adjusting to life in a new country and trying to provide for their families, making it hard to find time to take English classes, said Bill Crim, United Way's strategic initiatives and public policy director.
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