The poll, conducted the week after the horrific mass stabbing of children that sparked large-scale anti-immigration protests and riots, showed immigration has leapfrogged other concerns to become the top political issue for Britons.
Immigration is currently the biggest issue facing the country. YouGov Poll In the survey, conducted Monday and Tuesday this week, respondents were asked to choose three policy areas they considered to be “the most important issues facing the country right now,” with 51 percent choosing “migration and asylum” as one of their options.
Immigration has jumped 10 points in just two weeks, ranking third among 14 policy areas with 41% in mid-July, overtaking the economy, which has fallen nine points and is now in second place with 44%.
‘Crime’ has also seen a sharp increase, jumping from 20 percent last month to 39 percent now, marking the sharpest change of any concern and now being the third most chosen issue facing the country in the poll of UK adults.
The majority of Britons believe immigration leads to increased crime https://t.co/zYtpeJj2Ud
—Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 18, 2024
The shift in public opinion came in a week in which immigration and crime were both large parts of the debate. Last Monday, a class of young children was attacked by a man with a knife, stabbing 13 people, leaving three young children dead. It was later revealed that the suspect now facing charges is a teenager of Rwandan descent, but few other details have been released, including whether he was already on security watch lists.
The attack has been followed by a week of protests, demonstrations, riots and ethnic violence, with incidents reported across the country.
Immigration and crime have long been linked in the minds of British voters: A poll published in May found that 56% of respondents agreed that “immigration usually leads to an increase in crime.” Only 3% said they believed immigration reduced crime, and 28% said they thought immigration had no effect on crime.
Concerns about border controls are growing not just in the UK but across Europe. As previously reported, a large-scale global survey found that “the proportion of people in many European countries who say ‘reducing immigration’ should be their government’s top priority has risen sharply.” It has already overtaken ‘climate change action’ as a policy concern this year, and is expected to become the second-highest priority for Europeans by next year.
Hero of Southport attack calls on Prime Minister Starmer to address anger against immigrants and stop scapegoating protestershttps://t.co/S8OqKuOVCd
—Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 7, 2024
