Public concern about immigration reaches highest level in a decade

• Fifty-one per cent name immigration as an important issue for Britain, the highest score since October 2015.
• Ipsos Economic Optimism Index remains at -60, with 72% expecting the economy to get worse over the next 12 months.

The September 2025 Ipsos Issues Index reveals that immigration remains the biggest issue facing the country this month, in the eyes of Britons. Fifty-one per cent of the public see it as a concern, an increase of three points since August and the highest score since October 2015 (when it was mentioned by 52%).  Fieldwork was carried out 10-16 September 2025, covering the period of the Unite the Kingdom march.

Immigration is particularly likely to be mentioned as an important issue by Reform UK (86%) and Conservative (60%) supporters, those aged 55+ (62%) and people in social grades C2DE (57%).

The other two issues in the top three remain the economy and the NHS. Concern about the economy is relatively unchanged since August, mentioned by 35%, while concern about the NHS has risen by four points, mentioned by 26%.

Inflation and housing remain the fourth- and fifth-biggest issues, mentioned by 19% and 16% respectively. Concern about both remains at a similar level to that recorded in August.

Economic Optimism Index

Ipsos’ Economic Optimism Index asks Britons whether they think the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same, or get worse over the next twelve months, and has been tracking the economic mood of Britons since 1978.  

The latest results show 12% think the economy will improve and 72% get worse, giving a net Ipsos Economic Optimism Index figure of -60 (the same as last month). 13% think there will be no change in the state of the economy over the next year.

The level of net economic optimism today (fourteen months in to Keir Starmer’s premiership) equals the lowest recorded at this stage in a new Prime Minister’s tenure, similar to that of Gordon Brown in August 2008 (-59).

Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said:

As we headed into party conference season, immigration continued to be top of the public agenda, as it has been since May.  Mentions of immigration as an important issue facing Britain have doubled over the last two years, and it is by some distance the top concern among Reform UK and Conservative voters, and is a particular concern among older and working class Britons too.  However it has also been rising for other groups, including Labour voters for whom it is now almost as important an issue as the NHS itself.

Britons have other worries as well though, with the economy and the NHS, inflation and housing all continuing to make the top 5 as they did last month.  The economy in particular is a real concern, with nearly 3 in 4 Britons still pessimistic about its prospects, considerably worse than the Ipsos long-term average and similar to the situation faced by Gordon Brown 14 months into his premiership in 2008.  With news about economic growth slowing in Q2, this increases the pressure on Rachel Reeves’ upcoming Budget to demonstrate to voters that improvements are coming.

Technical note

• Ipsos' Issues Index is the longest-running gauge of British public concerns. It is conducted monthly and has provided an overview of the key issues concerning the country for over 50 years. The answers are spontaneous responses, and participants are not prompted.
• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Ipsos’ telephone omnibus was used for this survey. Interviews were conducted between 10 – 16th September 2025. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.