Puerto Rico was devastated last week when Hurricane Maria slammed into the island, obliterating infrastructure and wiping out power. But as Puerto Ricans desperately await sufficient humanitarian aid in the aftermath of the storm, the cry to action from fellow Americans appears muted in comparison to the response following the recent hurricanes that hit Texas and Florida. A new study may offer insight as to why.

Almost half of Americans don't know that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, according to a new poll by Morning Consult and reported by the New York Times. Those who did know that Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizenship were almost twice as likely to support U.S. aid to Puerto Rico.

Only 54 percent of Americans know that people born on the island are U.S. citizens, according to the poll. The poll, which surveyed 2,200 adults, found that older and more educated Americans were much more likely to know Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

Of Americans who know that Puerto Ricans are fellow citizens, 81 percent support aid for the territory. In contrast, only 44 percent of Americans who don't know Puerto Ricans are citizens supported aid.

The poll also found that respondents who were informed of Puerto Ricans' citizenship status before answering the question were more likely to support aid than those who weren't informed. In total, 64 percent of respondents given no information about Puerto Ricans' citizenship status supported government aid for the island, while the figure jumped to 68 percent for those informed of Puerto Ricans' citizenship before answering the question.

The information increased support for aid from Republican respondents by 9 percent, Trump voters by 10 percent and and Hispanic participants by 12 percent, according to the poll.

As the New York Times reports, the data is indicative of Americans' support for foreign aid versus domestic causes; a Pew report found that Americans are much more likely to support cuts to foreign aid than cuts to domestic spending.

The Morning Consult poll was conducted online from Sept. 22 to 24, 2017, from a national sample of 2,200 adults.



Photos: Puerto Rico in Ruins