ATTITUDES TO IMMIGRATION · Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018; c2,000 GB adults aged 18+ conducted online February 2015-October 2016 People are …

ATTITUDES TO

IMMIGRATION

Public have become more positive about immigration since Brexit

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Feb-15 Aug-15 Feb-16 Aug-16 Feb-17 Aug-17 Feb-18

% saying immigration’s impact on their country has been positive/negative on Britain

Negative

30%

Don’t know

6%

Positive

44%

Neutral

20%

On a scale of 0 to 10, has migration had a positive or negative impact on Britain? (0 is “very negative”, 10 is “very

positive”): 0-4=Negative; 5=Neutral; 6-10=Positive

Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018; c2,000 GB adults aged 18+ conducted online February 2015-October 2016

March 2018

35%

57%64%

27%

20%

17%

19%

21%

30%

21%14%

47%

EU Referendum VoteParty Support

Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018

Labour and Remain voters more likely to see immigration

Positive (6-10)

Neutral

Negative (0-4)

On a scale of 0 to 10, has migration had a positive or negative impact on Britain? (0 is “very negative”, 10 is “very

positive”)

Conservative Labour Remain Leave

as having a positive impact

Majority still want to see immigration numbers reduced

Increase a lot

Increase a little

Remained the same

Reduced a little

Reduced a lot

Don’t know

Do you think the number of immigrants coming to Britain nowadays should be increased a lot, increased a little,

remain the same as it is, reduced a little, or reduced a lot?

but those wanting it to be reduced a lot has fallen

5%

3%

3%

3%

5%

6%

5%

7%

23%

24%

27%

30%

22%

20%

23%

24%

40%

42%

37%

30%

4%

5%

4%

5%

Feb 2015

Apr 2016

Oct 2016

Mar 2018

Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted 9-13 March 2018; c2,000 GB adults aged 18+ February 2015-October 2016

3% 5% 4% 3%5%

10% 11%3%

18%

41% 45%

14%

30%

24%25%

26%

41%

18% 13%

51%

3% 2% 3% 2%

Base: Online survey of 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted 9-13 March 2018

Majorities of Conservative and Leave voters want immigration

Do you think the number of immigrants coming to Britain nowadays should be increased a lot, increased a little,

remain the same as it is, reduced a little, or reduced a lot?


Party Support EU Referendum Vote

Increased a lot

Increased a

little

Remained the

same

Reduced a little

Reduced a lot

Don’t know

reduced

8%

13%

61%

10%

3%

4%

6 in 10 say their views on immigration have not changed

Slightly less worried

Views not changed

Slightly more worried

Much more worried

Don’t know

And would you say that you have become more or less worried about immigration since Britain voted to leave

the EU in 2016, or have your views not changed?

21% More worried13% Less worried

since Brexit vote although 1 in 5 more worried

Much less worried


61% Views not changed

7% 7% 8% 8%

11% 17% 13% 12%

58%

64% 70%

56%

18%6%

5%

18%

5% 3% 1% 6%1% 4% 4%

1%


Less difference between parties although Leave voters

And would you say you have become more or less worried about immigration since Britain voted to leave the

European Union in June 2016, or have your views not changed?


Political Voting Intention EU Referendum Vote

Much more

worried

Slightly more

worried

Views haven’t

changed

Slightly less

worried

Much less

worried

Don’t know

more likely to have become more worried

7% 5%13%

15%12%

13%

66%

62%55%

7%13%

14%

3% 4%3%3% 4% 2%


Those negative about immigration more likely to say they have

And would you say you have become more or less worried about immigration since Britain voted to leave the

European Union in June 2016, or have your views not changed?

Positive Neutral Negative

Impact Immigration has had on Britain

Much more

worried

Slightly more

worried

Views haven’t

changed

Slightly less

worried

Much less

worried

Don’t know

become both more and less worried since the referendum

10% 14% 25% 33% 6% 11% Increased a little

Increased a lot

Remained the same

Decreased a little

Decreased a lot

Don’t know

Since Brexit vote numbers have fallen – four in ten people

Official figures*: number of EU migrants down

by 19% year after Brexit

have noticed this

Do you think the number of EU immigrants coming into the UK has increased

remained the same as it is, or reduced since EU ref vote?

March 2018

Base: Online survey of 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted 9-13 March 2018*https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internation

almigration/articles/migrationsincethebrexitvotewhatschangedinsixcharts/2017-11-30

9% 10% 5%15%

17%13%

12%

19%

27%24%

21%

27%

37%

34%

40%

29%

3%10% 13%

1%

6% 8%9% 10%

Remain voters more likely to think immigration has decreased while

I would now like to ask you some questions about what you think has happened since Britain voted to leave the European

Union in the referendum on 23 June 2016. For each of the following, please tell me whether you think it has increased,

decreased or stayed the same since June 2016. - The number of EU immigrants coming into the UK



Increased a lot

Increased a little

Stay about the

same

Decreased a

little

Decreased a lot

Don’t know

Leave voters are split while little difference by party support


Those who are more negative about immigration are more likely



decreased or stayed the same since June 2016. - The number of EU immigrants coming into the UK

Increased a lot

Increased a little

Stay about the

same

Decreased a

little

Decreased a lot

Don’t know

to think there has been an increase

4% 7%

21%11%18%

18%24%

28%

26%

42%

28%

26%

11%3%

2%8%

16%7%


Positive Neutral Negative

Impact Immigration has had on Britain

8% 16% 55% 8% 1% 12% Increased a little

Increased a lot

Remained the same

Decreased a little

Decreased a lot

Don’t know

And majority have noticed no difference in their

local area

Do you think the number of EU immigrants living in your local area has increased

remained the same as it is, or reduced since EU ref vote?


9% 7% 4%12%

16%15%

10%

22%

58%55%

62%

50%

6%11% 12%

4%1% 2% 2% 1%

10% 10% 11% 11%


Leave voters more likely than Remain voters to think immigration



decreased or stayed the same since June 2016. - The number of EU immigrants living in your local area



Increased a lot

Increased a little

Stay about the

same

Decreased a

little

Decreased a lot

Don’t know

has increased in their local area

27%

22%

26%

32%

28%

31%

34%

26%

37%

36%

32%

33%

8%

12%

8%

10%

Feb-15

Mar-15

Apr-15

Mar-18

Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018; c2,000 GB adults aged 18+ conducted online February 2015-October 2016

People are split on whether we’re talking about

It has been discussed

too much


about the right amount


too little

Don’t know

Generally speaking, do you think that the issue of immigration has been discussed in Britain too much, too little

or about the right amount over the last few years?

immigration too much or too little

23%

45%51%

14%

32%

21%

24%

28%

40%26%

18%

52%

5% 8% 7% 6%


Labour and Remain voters more likely to think immigration’s been

Generally speaking, do you think that the issue of immigration has been discussed in Britain too much, too little

or about the right amount over the last few years?




too much


about the right amount


too little

Don’t know

discussed too much while Conservative and Leave think too little

Over half dissatisfied with government handling of issue

23

11 9 12

64

6061

53

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Feb 14 Feb 15 Feb 16 Feb 17 Feb 18

Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way the current government is dealing with immigration?

Dissatisfied

Satisfied

but dissatisfaction has fallen since Feb 2015

Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018; c4,000-1,500 GB adults aged 18+ conducted online February 2014-October 2016

4% 1% 2% 3%

21%

6%9%

11%

33%

26%

31% 28%

28%

34%

31% 30%

12%

28% 23% 26%

3% 5% 4% 3%

Leavers and Remainers equally dissatisfied with government

Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way the current government is dealing with immigration?



Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Neither satisfied

nor dissatisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Don’t know


Public tend to think direct investment into UK and quality of the NHS has

Increased a lot

Increased a little

Remained the same

Reduced a little

Reduced a lot

Don’t know



decreased or stayed the same since June 2016.

6%

1%

1%

1%

19%

9%

3%

4%

39%

59%

35%

26%

23%

23%

33%

29%

3%

6%

23%

13%

10%

1%

5%

27%

The number of

unemployed

people in the UK

Your own standard

of living

The quality of the

NHS

Direct investment

into the UK from

EU member states


decreased since the referendum while less change on standard of living

1% 1% 1% 1%6%

2% 3% 4%

45%

27% 29%

42%

31%

37%40%

30%

15%

30%25% 20%

2% 4% 3% 4%

Even nearly half of Conservative supporters think quality of NHS has



decreased or stayed the same since June 2016. - The quality of the NHS



Increased a lot

Increased a little

Stay about the

same

Decreased a

little

Decreased a lot

Don’t know

decreased since the referendum


21%

69%

Even by leaving the EU, 7 in 10 are not confident that the

Very confident

Fairly confident

Not very confident

Not at all confident

Don’t know

How confident, if at all, are you that by leaving the European Union, the Government will meet its net migration

target of “tens of thousands” over the next few years?

2%

19%

39%

30%

10%

Confident

Not Confident

government will meet its net migration targets


Neither Leave nor Remain voters are very confident Government will

Last year Theresa May pledged that the government would reduce annual net migration (that is the number of migrants

coming into Britain minus the number leaving Britain) to the “tens of thousands”. How confident, if at all, are you that by

leaving the European Union, the government will meet this target over the next few years?



4% 2% 2% 4%

35%

12% 13%

25%

40%

40% 42%

39%

15%

37% 35%

26%

6% 9% 9% 6%

Very confident

Fairly confident

Not very confident

Not at all confident

Don’t know

reach the net immigration target


Four in ten Brits think we are less positive about immigration than people in most

On average, do you think that Britons are more or less positive about the impact of immigration on Britain than

other Europeans are about immigration in their countries, or are they about the same?

7%

42%42%

9%

Britons are more positive about

immigration than people in most

other European countries

The level of worry is about

the same

Britons are less positive about

immigration than people in most other

European countries

Don’t know

other European countries – but in fact we are among the most positive

17%

40%

25%

20%

18%

15%

14%

11%

10%

9%

9%

6%

5%

Europe Total

Great Britain

Sweden

Spain

Germany

Poland

France

Belgium

Italy

Russia

Turkey

Serbia

Hungary

July 2017- Very positive/Fairly positive impact

Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018 Base: c,1000 adults per country aged 18-75 conducted online July 2017

Remainers and those positive about immigration think we are more negative than

On average, do you think that Britons are more or less positive about the impact of immigration on Britain than

other Europeans are about immigration in their countries, or are they about the same?

others, Leavers and those negative about immigration think feelings are the same

Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018 Base: c,1000 adults per country aged 18-75 conducted online July 2017

Britons are more positive about



The level of worry is about the

same

Britons are less positive about



Don’t know

5% 8% 8% 8% 6%

36%

49%

36%43%

52%

52%

36%51% 37%

37%

5% 7% 5%12%

5%

Remain Leave Positive Neutral Negative

EU Referendum Vote Impact Immigration has had on Britain

Documents

ATTITUDES TO IMMIGRATION · Base: 1,060 GB adults aged 18-75 conducted online 9-13 March 2018; c2,000 GB adults aged 18+ conducted online February 2015-October 2016 People are …