Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The United Kingdom is often viewed as having particularly hostile attitudes toward immigration compared to other countries. While immigration has been an increasingly salient issue in British politics—and indeed is a significant factor in the upcoming June 23 referendum on whether the United Kingdom should quit the European Union—public attitudes on this subject are far more nuanced than commonly depicted.

A new report from the Migration Policy Institute’s Transatlantic Council on Migration, Engaging the Anxious Middle on Immigration Reform: Evidence from the UK Debate, analyzes polling data in an effort to paint a more complete picture of British public opinion on immigration. The report also examines several drivers of public opinion, including media coverage, before considering how recent migration policy changes can be linked to public opinion—or, crucially, what policymakers perceive to be the public will.

Though there are substantial minorities voicing strong opinions for and against immigration, most people fall into the “anxious middle.” They are skeptical about the government’s handling of immigration and worried about the effects of immigration on society and the economy, but are not hostile toward immigrants themselves, especially skilled ones who can contribute to the economy.

While authors Sunder Katwala and Will Somerville describe this majority as “tough but pragmatic [and] seeking selective openness” on migration, they note that the coalition and Conservative governments have focused on soothing antimigration concerns by putting forward tough policy measures since 2010.

Yet by promising results that could not be met—such as the pledge to keep net migration under 100,000 annually—policymakers further eroded public trust in government, with clear political knock-on effects. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has only risen in influence campaigning on its populist, anti-immigration platform.

The report is the second in a Transatlantic Council series that examines the drivers of anxiety that often surround immigration and explores the conditions under which these can be addressed. The first publication in this series examines how religious difference is managed across the Atlantic in fundamentally different ways, as well as the integration challenge that governments confront.

Additional reports in the series will offer case studies of public attitudes towards immigration in Canada and Germany and the resulting effect on politics and policy, as well as a pair focusing on the causes for public anxiety and offering a menu of options for policymakers to begin to restore public trust in government’s ability to manage migration.

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2016/05/engaging-the-anxious-middle-on-immigration-reform-evidence-from-the-uk-debate.html