British Views On Immigration
Concern about immigration but acceptance of multi-culturalism
New research conducted by the MORI Social Research Institute for Migration Watch UK shows 85% of people in Britain, including a majority of Black and Asian Britons (59%), disagree that the Government has immigration under control. Similarly, some 76% of Britons disagree that the government is open and honest about the scale of immigration into Britain.
Separate, regular MORI surveys of the British public show a major increase in those who see immigration as the most important issue facing Britain, from only around 5% of the public in the 1990's, rising consistently to become one of the top issues facing Britain in the eyes of voters. It is currently ahead of both crime and education as a national issue in the eyes of voters.
Acceptance of Multi-culturalism
This concern does not seem to be simply a xenophobic and racist reaction. Most Britons (70%) agree 'It is a good thing that Britain is a multi-cultural society', and even more, 87%, agree that 'you do not have to be white to be British'. This is entirely consistent with surveys undertaken by MORI for the Commission for Racial Equality last year.
The research highlights that older, working class, and less well qualified people often have very different views from other people on these issues. For example, younger, middle class people and those who have a university degree are much less conservative (with a small c) on these issues. On the question of whether Britain is losing its identity, 73% of those without qualifications and 74% of over 55s agree with this statement. In contrast, only 29% of those with degrees and 46% of those under 45 agree with the same statement.
Public support for tougher measures on asylum
There is widespread support for tougher measures on both asylum and immigration (this research was undertaken prior to statements by the Home Secretary, the ArchBishop of Canterbury and the Prime Minister on these issues in the last 10 days).
Seven in 10 people (71%) say that asylum seekers who have arrived in this country from a safe country in Europe should be sent back. There is also support for a toughening of immigration laws with 67% saying laws should be 'much tougher' , although only 13% say immigration should be stopped altogether. A similar number (12%) say laws should remain as they are, four per cent say they should be relaxed and two per cent that they should be abolished altogether.
Regional and Demographic Differences
There are some key regional differences in attitudes towards multi-culturalism, immigration and asylum. In terms of these attitudes, the regions of the GB fall into broadly three groups:
- The North East, West Midlands and the South West
- London
- The remaining regions of the GB.
The North East, West Midlands and the South West show the most opposition to multi-culturalism, immigration and asylum, and London has the least opposition to these issues, with the remaining regions falling in between.
While London is obviously de facto the most multi-cultural region, what is interesting is that more or less negative or positive views on these issues seem to bear little relation to actual numbers of immigrants or asylum seekers in each region. The North East for example,is almost wholly white, and without huge numbers of asylum seekers, but is notably more negative about multiculturalism and asylum than many other regions. This is consistent with other research MORI has undertaken on immigration.
Three-quarters of people in London (75%) agree that it is a good thing that Britain is a multi-cultural society, compared to just 39% in the North East, and 50% in Scotland. Though there is widespread disagreement to the proposition that the government has immigration under control, people in London are least negative (net agree -54%), compared to for example, the West Midlands with -86% net agreement.
Equally, when asked why asylum seekers came to the GB, the top response from almost half the regions was that they come to Britain because they think it's a "soft touch". For these regions, this view is held by about seven out of 10 people.
In contrast in London, asylum seekers are seen as looking for a "better life for themselves and their families". Less than half of Londoners say that asylum seekers come to this country because they think it's a "soft touch".
Conclusions
All in all, while the research clearly shows just how widespread mounting concerns about immigration are, it is clear that in many cases the public do not base their views on any direct local experience, but rather a general anxiety, and presumably media coverage. Readers of newspapers most outspoken on this issue tend to be themselves most critical, but of course, that in itself does not tell us whether they read those titles because they reflect their views on asylum/migration, or that their views have been influenced by their newspaper of choice.
Technical details
Results are based on 2,057 face-to-face interviews conducted across the GB in 198 randomly selected sample points via MORI's Omnibus survey. Fieldwork was conducted between 16-21 January 2003, and the data are weighted to reflect the known population profile.
Topline Results
- Results are based on 2,057 face-to-face interviews based on 196 sampling points conducted via MORI's Omnibus survey.
- Interviews were conducted between 16-21 January 2003.
- Data are weighted by gender, age, and work status for representativeness.
- Where results do not sum to 100%, this may be due to multiple responses, computer rounding or the exclusion of 'don't know' response categories.
- An asterisk (*) represents a value of less than one per cent, but not zero.
Q1-9 I am going to read out some statements about British society and social issues. For each one, please could you tell me the extent to which you agree or disagree?
| Strongly agree | Tend to agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Tend to disagree | Strongly disagree | Don't know | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| You do not have to be white to be British | 48 | 39 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| It is a good thing that Britain is a multi-cultural society | 32 | 38 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 2 |
| The government has immigration under control | 1 | 5 | 6 | 26 | 59 | 3 |
| I am concerned that Britain is losing its own culture | 29 | 28 | 12 | 22 | 7 | 2 |
| The government has asylum under control | 1 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 60 | 4 |
| The government is open and honest about the scale of immigration into Britain | 2 | 10 | 8 | 25 | 51 | 4 |
| I am unwilling to say what I really think about immigration in case I am seen as racist | 7 | 19 | 10 | 30 | 31 | 2 |
| We need more immigrants to do jobs that British people don't want to do | 3 | 10 | 10 | 31 | 43 | 3 |
| Asylum seekers who have arrived in Britain from a safe country in Europe should be sent back there | 47 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 3 |
Q10 What percentage of the British population do you think are immigrants to this country (i.e. not born in the UK)?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Up to 5% | 15 |
| 6%-10% | 16 |
| 11%-20% | 17 |
| 21%-30% | 15 |
| 31%-40% | 9 |
| 41%-50% | 6 |
| Over 50% | 5 |
| Don't know | 18 |
| Average | 21 |
Please note that the average for Q10 is estimated on the basis of a mid-point of 75% for respondents choosing 'Over 50%' and excludes 'Don't know's.
Q11 How many asylum seekers and immigrants do you think come to Britain every year from outside the European Union?
| % | N | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20,000 | 20 | |
| 20,001-30,000 | 12 | |
| 30,001-40,000 | 5 | |
| 40,001- 50,000 | 6 | |
| 50,001-100,000 | 12 | |
| 100,001-150,000 | 6 | |
| 150,001-200,000 | 3 | |
| 200,001-250,000 | 2 | |
| 250,001-500,000 | 2 | |
| 500,001-750,000 | 1 | |
| 750,001-1,000,000 | 1 | |
| More than 1,000,000 | 1 | |
| Don't know | 29 | |
| Estimated Average | 112,663 | |
Q12 For which, if any, of these reasons do you think asylum seekers come to Britain?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Because they have been persecuted in their countries | 50 |
| Because they want better jobs than they can find at home | 37 |
| Because they want a better life for themselves and their families | 58 |
| Because they think Britain is a "soft touch" | 64 |
| Because they will have access to free health services | 44 |
| Because they want to live off social security payments | 45 |
| To find work, because of unemployment at home | 36 |
| Because they have friends and family here | 39 |
| Other | 1 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q13 Which one of these statements comes closest to your own views on laws about immigration to Britain?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Laws on immigration should be abolished, so any one can come and live in Britain | 2 |
| Laws on immigration should be relaxed | 4 |
| Laws on immigration should remain as they are | 12 |
| Laws on immigration should be much tougher | 67 |
| Immigration should be stopped altogether | 13 |
| Don't know | 3 |
