Britons are very concerned about immigration and the issue is at the top of their worries. This comes after anti-immigration riots in which immigrants were targeted for several days. Now, more than 34% of people have said that this is the biggest concern in Britain. According to the Ipsos poll released on August 16, this is the first time since October 2016 – when Britain voted to leave the European Union – that immigration is the biggest concern for Britons.
The last time immigration was the number one issue for British people was in 2016, at the time of Brexit.
According to the August edition of the Ipsos Issues Index, more than a third of Britons consider immigration an important issue, while the numbers worry about healthcare at 30%, the economy at 29%, crime at 25% and inflation at 20%.
Another 11% believe that inter-caste relations are a burning issue.
There are incidents of large-scale riots and violence by right-wing groups in Britain. Three children stabbed to deathThese attacks, which initially targeted Muslims due to misinformation campaigns, are now affecting the South Asian community as well, with Indians caught in the middle.
Net migration down despite high number of Indians
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows net migration to the UK will fall by 10% to 685,000 in 2023, after reaching a high of 764,000 in 2022.
Despite the decline, Indians will be the largest group of immigrants coming to Britain in 2023250,000 people are moving there mainly for employment and education. This increase has come despite a 10% drop in net immigration to the UK compared to 2022.
Of the 250,000 Indians who migrated, 127,000 migrated for work, 115,000 for studies and 9,000 for other reasons.
Impact of recent riots on public sentiment
People’s concerns about immigration have come to the fore at a time when there have been large-scale riots in various cities and towns in Britain, where anti-immigration protesters Hotels and mosques housing refugees were targeted,
“The impact of recent riots in the UK is evident in this month’s data… Concern levels about crime and race relations have also reached high levels recently,” said Ipsos researcher Mike Clemens.
The unrest has subsided after causing widespread mayhem in many parts of Britain. But the riots have now subsided. According to a Reuters report, this finally happened after several participants were arrested and immediately sent to jail, and many joined other anti-racism protests.
The Ipsos survey mirrors the findings of a YouGov survey released last week, which similarly indicated that immigration is now the top national concern for the first time since 2016, when immigration was a key factor in Britain’s decision to leave the EU.
Ipsos conducted the survey with 1,010 adults between August 7-13, while YouGov conducted the survey with 2,163 adults between August 5-6.
This month’s riots and this survey highlight one thing: immigration cannot be ignored as an issue in Britain.