British Future

What does high immigration mean for the government's popularity? What data on voting habits tells us

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 2, 2023
People, Migration Advisory Committee, Unemployment, Employment, Housing, Education, Ipsos, Anxiety, Fear, Anger, Emotion, Attitude, Government, Conservatism, Labour, Time, European, Office for National Statistics, YouGov, Growth, NHS, British Future, News, Drug, Nursing, Tourism, EU, Brexit

That said, more people have a favourable view of immigration than have an unfavourable view.

Key Points: 
  • That said, more people have a favourable view of immigration than have an unfavourable view.
  • This was apparent in a recent survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the think tank British Future.
  • The survey showed that 46% of respondents had a positive view of immigration and 29% had a negative view, with 18% not sure about the issue.
  • As the chart below shows, as the number of immigrants increases, so do voting intentions for the governing party.
  • People may be increasingly relaxed about legal immigration partly because it does not have damaging economic effects.
  • But without a credible plan to deal with illegal migration, they will face the same problem as the current government.