The Tory party’s plan to fight the next general election on immigration will likely backfire, the World Values Survey published this month by King’s College London shows. Fully 68 per cent of Britons believe borders should be open to anyone, or open to anyone provided there are jobs going unfilled, the report says.
That’s the highest approval of migration among the 17 nations surveyed specifically on attitudes to immigration. Germany and Canada followed at 64 per cent and 61 per cent respectively.
It’s data that’ll complicate Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to France, where he’s expected to ask French premier Emmanuel Macron to do more to stem the flow of so-called small boats trying to reach British shores. The request won’t be popular, asking as it does for France to shoulder the burden of cost, and fulfilling a French stereotype of Britain’s attitude to money: une nation de boutiquiers.
The WVS’ report also deflates Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson’s promise to fight the next general election on immigration and culture war issues, leaving the Tory’s in a one-legged sprint while they rant about an issue two thirds of voters don’t care about – or actively oppose.
The annual report collects data on social, political, economic, religious, and cultural attitudes across 120 nations, collecting 800,000 data points each year. That makes it arguably the world’s most comprehensive and detailed study in changing attitudes globally. The UK fieldwork ‘’was completed in March to September 2022,’’ according to the report’s authors. The survey has been running since 1981.
‘’Out of 17 countries, the UK is most accepting of immigration,’’ it reads.
While Tory voters are twice as likely to want strict immigration controls, the number has fallen. ‘’In Britain, all generations who were old enough to be surveyed in the late 2000s have seen huge declines in the belief that the UK-born population should take priority over immigrants when jobs are scarce,’’ the survey reports. The survey questions people from the age of 18 into old age.
‘’For example, 73 per cent of the pre-war generation agreed with this view (strict control) in 2009, but this had almost halved to 38 per cent by 2022,’’ the WVS noted.
It’s unclear if the data has escaped the Tories’ focus groups or whether the party’s right dismisses it as another example of woke bias. That would be a mistake. Governments around the world have traditionally taken the survey seriously and used it to change and finagle policy.
While there’s some disparity of opinion across generations, it’s not as marked as it once was. Meanwhile, of the UK’s member states, Scotland is the least anti-immigrant and holds the most positive views, while Wales and Northern Ireland are the least likely to embrace migration whole heartedly.
Only 22 per cent of people in Britain believe that immigration increases crime. That’s a lower per centage than 18 other countries surveyed and substantially lower than Germany where 61 per cent of people blame increased immigration for perceived increases in crime.
The UK is also the least likely nation to blame immigrants for unemployment, with only 21 per cent of the people surveyed believing migrants increased unemployment levels. By contrast, 64 per cent of Russians, perhaps unsurprisingly, see a connection. Again, the UK comes out ahead of all other nations surveyed.
Meanwhile, Britain is the fourth least-likely nation to blame immigration for an increased risk of terrorism, marginally behind Indonesia, Canada, and China. However, the country ranks in the middle when it comes to a belief that social conflict is associated with immigration. Thirty nine per cent of UK residents say social conflict and migration go hand-in-hand, which ranks the UK in the same band as the United States, but significantly lower than Germany where an astonishing 82 per cent of people hold the view. Perhaps strangely, the youngest and oldest age groups in Britain are the most likely to see social conflict as an issue – alongside 50 per cent of Tories.
‘’Just five per cent of the UK public say they wouldn’t like to have immigrants or foreign workers as neighbours – only marginally behind Sweden (three per cent), Brazil (three per cent), and Germany (four per cent,) says the report. Meanwhile 30 per cent of Japanese people say they wouldn’t want a foreign neighbour.
What’s less clear is whether the Conservative Party realises it’s yelling into near emptiness about an issue that’s diminished nationally – and among their historical voters. Topping the list of things voters care about are the economy, inflation and the National Health Service, none of which are getting as much air time. Instead it seems the Tories, who slate the culture wars, intend to fight an apparently Quixotic campaign… on culture wars. It will probably end badly.
Related: Is the key to the migrant crisis allowing them to contribute?
