Downturns turn people against immigrants. That’s normal. But even according to the statistical average, Britons are particularly unhappy about the state of immigration these days. In a new survey undertaken by the German Marshall Fund, seventy-one percent of Britons polled disapproved of Labour’s immigration policy. Spaniards (64%), Americans (63%), Italians (53%) are also sceptical of government action. In contrast, 71% of Germans, 59% of Canadians and 50% of French approved of the steps their countries had taken.
In fact, Britons are the most sceptical about immigration, with 66% seeing it as more of a problem than an opportunity – a jump of seven percentage points on 2008 figures. Concerns about immigration from EU countries – a fundamental part of the Single Market – remain high. 47% argue that there are “too many citizens” from other EU countries living in Britain.
Unsurprisingly, resistance to low-skill migration is particularly strong, with 58% of respondents voicing support for reducing the numbers admitted into the country.
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