Despite the media’s gushing over support for President Obama’s executive order on illegal immigrants, a poll just published finds that the public is rejecting his move, with overwhelming majorities demanding that illegal children be barred from schools and illegal adults from jobs.

A new Economist/YouGov poll said that the public opposes the president’s order, 45 percent to 38 percent supporting it. In fact, only a majority of Democrats support the president’s action.

“The president’s plan for executive action on immigration clearly does not sit well with many Americans. Democrats support the president’s decision to use an executive order to delay deportation proceedings for parents of U.S. citizens, but 51 percent of independents and 80 percent of Republicans oppose it,” said the poll analysis.

What’s more, support for illegals and the president’s action has dropped since he unveiled his order to allow some illegals to stay temporarily and apply for a work permit if they have children who are U.S. citizens.

In February, for example, 55 percent supported providing a path to citizenship. That has dropped to 47 percent.

More telling is the nation’s attitude toward undocumented immigrants when it comes to jobs, school and crime.

“There is much support overall for punitive action against illegal immigrants: nearly two in three favor reporting employers who hire illegal immigrants, increasing fines for those employers and criminalizing the act of employing illegals, and requiring the police to report illegal immigrants to the federal government,” said the poll analysis. It added: “More than a third would keep illegal immigrant children out of public schools.”

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.