British voters, regardless of their political affiliation, express stronger opinions on immigration and ethnic makeup than American voters. In fact, a significant 70% of right-wing voters believe that having “a smaller proportion of white people in the population” would negatively affect society.
Traditionally, it’s been assumed that Brits lean more left than their American counterparts on political matters. While this still holds true in many areas, recent research indicates that people in the UK, from both ends of the spectrum, are much more vocal about immigration issues compared to Americans.
Right-wing party supporters in the UK tend to strongly agree with views like “a declining proportion of white people in the population is bad for society” and “society is weakened when it consists of many different races, ethnicities, and religions,” according to a recent poll.
This noteworthy finding is part of a preview from an upcoming study by the National Center for Social Research titled British and American attitudes: two sides of the same coin?. The organization replicated questions well-known in American polling for British respondents, providing a basis for comparison.
The study involved 2,000 respondents, which isn’t huge but still larger than what is typically seen in British political surveys.
The research suggests that, apart from immigration and diversity, Britain remains more left-leaning than the US on major national policies and social issues, such as taxation and abortion. This shift could be linked to the British government’s long-standing neglect of public opinion concerning border control, possibly nudging the populace to adopt more right-leaning views.
It’s striking how divergent British and American opinions are on certain immigration topics, particularly given that in the UK, voicing these widely held beliefs can sometimes lead to police scrutiny due to the lack of constitutional protections for free speech.
When asked about the statement, “If we become too open to people around the world, we risk losing our identity as a nation,” a striking 81% of Conservative or Reform voters agreed, while in the US, only 65% of Trump supporters felt the same. Although a majority of British Labour voters did not agree, it’s significant that 34% did, compared to a mere 12% of Harris supporters.
Interestingly, left-leaning voters in the UK appear more aligned with right-leaning Americans in this context.
A full 70% of British right-wing voters agreed that “a decline in the proportion of white people in the population is bad for society,” which is notably 27 percentage points higher than the 43% agreement from Trump supporters. On the left, 24% of Labour voters concurred, compared to just 9% of Harris supporters.
Regarding discomfort with hearing foreign languages spoken in public, 66% of Conservative and Reform voters in the UK expressed agreement. This sentiment was less common among Trump supporters, at 47%, while Labour supporters were at 28%, and only 17% of Harris supporters felt the same.
On the issue of ethnic homogeneity, most right-wing individuals in Britain believe that “society is weakened by consisting of many different races, ethnicities, and religions.” About 52% hold this view, significantly higher than the 19% of American conservatives who agree. Interestingly, British Labour supporters are just slightly ahead of Trump supporters, with only 14% expressing agreement. Kamala Harris voters had the lowest approval on this matter, with only 3% agreeing.
As quoted by the Financial Times, Sir John Curtis, a noted British psychologist and political scientist, remarked that these findings underscore a shifting dividing line in British politics. Over recent decades, traditional economic policy divides have increasingly centered around social issues, with right-wing views now focusing on national sovereignty over economic health. This perspective parallels remarks by former President Trump, who has stated: “We believe Britain should govern itself.”
