Major poll finds Britons at odds on immigration
The fourth annual Transatlantic Trends: Immigration survey, out last week, showed that global economic turmoil and migration following the “Arab Spring,” had little impact on attitudes to immigration in the US and five European countries (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain).
New global poll identifies British attitudes towards immigration:
· Coalition Government’s handling of immigration considered poor
· Only a minority concerned about legal migration
· UK immigrant population overestimated
· Migrants fleeing armed conflict, natural disasters, persecution should be admitted
· Immigrants are entrepreneurial and plug labour market gaps
· Children of immigrants are well integrated
According to the survey, British people continue to view immigration as more of a problem than an opportunity (68%), with 57% of respondents stating that they think there are currently too many immigrants in the country.
This figure has, however, remained stable since 2008 in the UK as well as elsewhere in Europe.
Most also maintain a negative view of government management of immigration, with 68% of Europeans and 73% Americans believing that their government is doing a poor or very poor job.
Most American (56%) and Europeans (52%) remain optimistic about immigrant integration, and 66% of British people are positive about how well the children of immigrants are integrating.
Majorities in the UK, Europe and the U.S. are interested in letting in more highly educated immigrants. Amongst European respondents, the British are most likely to agree that immigrants help create jobs and set up new businesses (54%).
Despite 58% believing that immigrants take jobs from native workers, a large majority (69%) think immigrants help fill jobs when there are shortages. A majority (56%) supported highly educated migrants being allowed to come to the UK.
Following the Arab Spring, 40% of Britons surveyed support opening the British labour market to residents of newly democratic states in North Africa and the Middle East.
Strong support was also found amongst Britons polled for admitting migrants fleeing armed conflict (73%), natural disasters (70%) and persecution (65%). Surprisingly, half of British people would accept migrants fleeing poverty.
The survey is a project of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy), and the Barrow Cadbury Trust (U.K.), with additional support from the Fundación BBVA (Spain).
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Reader comments
The support levels for a sane and humane immigration policy in those polls are far higher than I would have expected given the relentless media misrepresentation of the issue. They also demonstrate that an arms race on who can be tougher on immigration isn’t the vote winner blairites think it will be, and there is far higher levels of public support for reversing some of the draconnian legislation that was passed.
All good stuff. But I wish they wouldn’t say “British/Britons”. Do a survey of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland. Then post the results for each country. I think they would vary widely…
Yes, but you’d also then have to clarrify within the poll whether by ‘immigrants’ you include english people moving into Wales or Scotland or vice versa. Which would add another dimension to the result.
Is there a link to the actual survey?
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Reactions: Twitter, blogs
- Liberal Conspiracy
Major poll finds Britons conflicted on… http://t.co/E7iYpjOM
- Liberal Conspiracy
Major poll finds Britons conflicted on immigration http://t.co/6qJgVwq0
- Patron Press - #P2
#UK : Major poll finds Britons conflicted on immigration http://t.co/eS1aoTkQ
- Democratic Society
"@libcon: Major poll finds Britons conflicted on immigration http://t.co/Qr1rA5yo" < and indeed everything. They contain multitudes.
- Sunder Katwala
Major poll finds Britons conflicted on immigration http://t.co/6qJgVwq0
- Andrew Ducker
Major poll finds Britons conflicted on immigration http://t.co/QRC2Gv1e
- RobSimmons
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Hussain Cheema
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Champollion
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Zack Wilson
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Linda Jack
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Joe Oliver
RT @sunny_hundal: Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tkITPArQ
- Adrian Trett
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Gerard Zouein
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Owen Blacker
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- Carol Clarke
Major poll on immigration finds Britons a lot more nuanced and conflicted than right-wingers pretend http://t.co/tgeyLNpU
- UK Immigrant Magazin
#UK : Major poll finds Britons conflicted on immigration http://t.co/eS1aoTkQ
- TheCreativeCrip
RT @libcon: Major poll finds Britons conflicted on immigration http://t.co/rYTwQdbf << don't need a poll to know that …
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