Academic studies and official data highlight misconceptions around impact of new arrivals on economy and society

The wave of far-right violence that has swept across England and Northern Ireland in recent weeks has intensified the political debate around immigration and its impacts on Britain’s economy and society.

But while opinion polls show rising concern among the public over legal and irregular migration, academic analysis of the effects of immigration on wages, crime and public services points to a gap between perception and reality.

Public concern about immigration is growing, but opinion is divided

Concern about immigration among UK voters is back to levels last seen in 2016, when the Brexit referendum and the 2015 European migration crisis triggered by the Syrian civil war pushed it to the top of the news agenda.

But analysis of polling data reveals important nuances. For the first time, Conservative voters’ concerns have diverged markedly from those of Labour voters. That shift coincided with the previous Tory government focusing on small boat Channel crossings by migrants, including a “stop the boats” slogan and a policy to process asylum seekers in Rwanda.

Despite the recent rise in concerns, the UK remains one of the most accepting countries of immigration. Some 55 per cent of Britons said immigration had a positive impact on their country’s development, according to the 2022 World Values survey — more than twice the share in France and Germany.

https://www.ft.com/content/5a00c171-8194-4c54-9ac6-63ca292522e2