Ipsos survey of 24 countries reveals a majority of many populations think migration is changing their nation in ways they don’t like

Nearly one in two people in the world’s most advanced economies believe immigration is causing their country to change in ways they don’t like, according to a new poll.

In many countries this is true in more than half of the population – in Turkey (84%), Italy (65%), Russia (59%), and in Belgium, France, Israel, South Africa, Great Britain, Hungary and India, the survey by global research company Ipsos found.

However, the poll also reveals significant differences between countries – and, where attitudes towards immigration are negative, the reasons vary.

The proportion who agree immigration is causing their country to change in ways they don’t like is below 30% in China, South Korea, Brazil and Japan. It is also a view shared by only a minority of citizens in the US, Spain, Canada and Germany.

In Turkey (92%), Italy (71%) and Russia (69%), respondents also believe that there are too many immigrants in their respective countries, compared with 60% in France and Britain. The numbers are lower in Germany and Sweden (43%), the US (49%) and Spain (48%).



Across the 24 countries polled, half of all people surveyed say there are too many immigrants in their country.

Saudi Arabia (52%) and India (49%) are the only two countries where anything like a majority say immigration has generally had a very positive or fairly positive effect on their country.

Although most countries score around 20% on this particular question, in several the proportion that has a positive view of immigration is extremely low.

When it comes to the economic effect of immigration, only 28% agree it has been good for the economy. This ranges from 52% in Saudi Arabia, 48% in India, 44% in China and 43% in Australia, to 15% in France, 14% in Italy and Turkey, and 13% in Hungary and Russia.

In Britain, 38% agree that immigration has been good for the country compared with 30% in the US and 27% in Germany.

Meanwhile, 30% believe that immigration has made their country a more interesting place to live. In none of the 24 countries surveyed does a majority agree with this sentiment.

In China less than half (48%) strongly agree or tend to agree that immigrants make the country more interesting. In Russia it is only 9%, while in Italy it is 13%. And in Hungary, which has recently begun work to build a fence to prevent migrants from crossing its border, the proportion is 18%.



The figures are higher in Sweden (46%), the US (41%), Britain (40%) and Germany (33%).

Moreover, half of those surveyed think immigration has placed too much pressure on public services, with respondents in Turkey (81%), Britain (68%) and Italy (67%) recording the highest proportions.

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However, in quite a few countries – including Japan (21%), Poland (34%), Germany (47%) and Russia (43%) – a majority do not agree that pressure on public services is a concern.

Turkish people are also worried about the effect of immigrants on the job prospects of nationals, with 85% saying immigrants have made it more difficult to find work. A majority in Italy (54%) also agree with this sentiment, as do 48% in Britain, the US and France. Job prospects are less of a concern in Germany (30%) and Sweden (25%).

In all the countries surveyed, a significant majority of respondents said immigration was increasing in their countries, with Turkey (97%), Italy (94%), South Africa (93%), Hungary (91%) and Russia (90%) recording the highest levels.

The full Ipsos study can be found here.

Methodology: The study is based on interviews conducted via Ipsos online Omnibus from 19 June to 3 July 2015 with interviews of 17,533 adults across 24 countries. Approximately 500 interviews were conducted in each of Argentina, Belgium, Hungary, India, Israel, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey; approximately 1,000 interviews conducted in each of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain and the US. Data is weighted based on recent census and/or population figures for each country. The poll of 1,000 is accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and one of 500 is accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points in their respective general populations.