Most Britons are unhappy with the way the government is handling immigration and asylum
A new Ipsos poll reveals that six in ten Britons (62%) are dissatisfied with the way the government is dealing with immigration and asylum while just one in five (21%) are satisfied.
A new Ipsos poll reveals that six in ten Britons (62%) are dissatisfied (including a third – 34% - who are very dissatisfied) with the way the government is dealing with immigration and asylum while just one in five (21%) are satisfied. Despite the overwhelming dissatisfaction felt by the public, this is the highest level of satisfaction Ipsos has recorded since 2006.
Half of Conservative (51%) and Liberal Democrat (55%) supporters are dissatisfied with the government’s handling of immigration, as are two thirds (66%) of Labour supporters. Around nine in ten (88%) UKIP supporters are dissatisfied.
Among the most dissatisfied with the government’s handling of immigration and asylum are women (66% dissatisfied compared to 59% of men), older people (72% of those aged 65+ compared to 52% of 18-24 year olds) and those in social grades DE (71% compared to 61% of ABs).
In an Ipsos poll released earlier this week none of the leaders of the major parties had a clear lead on being the most trusted to deal with immigration: 23% chose Mr Cameron, 20% chose Mr Farage and 19% picked Mr Miliband, while one in five (18%) said they trust none of them.
Bobby Duffy, Managing Director, Social Research Institute, Ipsos said:
“Immigration is an incredibly tough issue to please the public on. The large majority of people have been dissatisfied with each government since we started tracking views in the early 2000s. So while these latest findings are very far from a ringing endorsement of the current government, it is still a significant improvement, and the highest satisfaction figures we’ve recorded – although still only one in five of the population are happy with government’s performance."
Technical Note
Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,012 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 1st – 3rd February 2014. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.
