Immigration topped the list of issues considered most important by Britons for the first time since 2016, when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union following a campaign in favour of leaving the EU based largely on anti-immigration propaganda. The research was carried out by the company Ipsos.
The United Kingdom has experienced unrest this month from the north to the south of the country in violent acts mainly against Muslims and migrants. There has been looting, attacks on places housing asylum seekers and mosques, and clashes with police.
More than a third of Britons (34%) named immigration as the issue of most concern, ahead of health (30%), the economy (29%), crime (25%) and inflation (20%), according to the August edition of Ipsos’ monthly Issues Index. For 11% of respondents, race relations were the main issue.
Net migration to the United Kingdom, that is, the difference between the number of people entering and leaving the country, reaches a record of 764 thousand in 2022, a figure that falls to 685 thousand the following year, 2023.
“The impact of recent riots across the UK is evident in this month’s figures. Concern levels about crime and race relations have also increased,” said Ipsos researcher Mike Clemens.
The riot-related unrest subsided after many of the perpetrators were arrested. Many people also participated in demonstrations against racism.
The riots began when a 17-year-old boy armed with a knife attacked people at a children’s dance class in the seaside town of Southport, near Liverpool, in late July. Three children were killed and eight were injured.
The suspect was born and raised in the United Kingdom, but rumors soon spread on the Internet that he was an illegal immigrant in the country. To combat this false information, authorities took the unusual step of publicly identifying the attacker. However, since immigration is a sensitive topic for the British, especially for far-right groups, the rumors were already enough to cause a stir.
The Ipsos poll mirrors a poll released by YouGov last week, which showed immigration topping the list of most important national issues for the first time since 2016.
Ipsos surveyed 1,010 adults from August 7 to 13, while YouGov surveyed 2,163 adults on August 5 and 6.
