Since 2015, British people have become more positive towards immigration, but their views are more complex than you might think.
This recent finding from Ipsos MORI seems to contradict the current prolific and polarising debate around this question. You must be either for immigration, enthusiastic about the positive economic and cultural effects of enhanced movement and integration, or against, fearful of the impact of the ‘other’ on your way of life and convinced that any new entrants would unfairly get valuable and scarce resources.
In fact, half of the UK population is not for or against migration, but lie somewhere in the middle. They feel a moral duty to help refugees, and they recognise the value that migrants bring to a range of sectors such as the NHS. But they are also worried about the impact of increased immigration on Britain’s culture, security and economic stability. The opportunities to engage on migration issues lies here, in the murky ‘anxious middle’.
What does the world think?
Recently, we looked at what people around the world thought about refugees and migrants. Half of all people think there are too many immigrants in their country. Most support refugees, but a third still feel borders should be closed. Compared to the global average, Europe is far more pessimistic. Even within Europe, there is huge variation between, and within, countries. For example, in the UK, those in Greater London are twice as positive as those in industrial and manufacturing towns.
