MORE than two-thirds of Brits are united in the view that immigration has “divided” communities, according to a new poll.

The negative view of immigration was one of the few unifying factors in the study which also suggests people in the UK are strongly nostalgic for the past.

2 A new poll suggests more than two-thirds of Brits are united in the view that immigration has ‘divided’ communities Credit: Alamy

The poll by Demos for Sky News saw 63 per cent of those asked say they think life in Britain was better in a bygone age, and the same amount think Britain's status on the world stage has declined since their youth.

It showed 71 per cent of people thought immigration had been divisive in areas that have seen migrants arrive, rising to 78 per cent for people living in those multicultural communities.

And more than half of those polled did not believe the Government is doing enough to promote traditional British values.

Also, almost half of those polled believed that "British values" should be favoured over multiculturalism, rising to 76 per cent among those who voted Leave in the EU referendum.

2 More than half of those polled did not believe the Government is doing enough to promote traditional British values Credit: PA

In contrast just over a third of citizens felt "welcoming different cultures" was more important.

Harking back to the past is not just a British thing, the report found, with similar views found in France and Germany.

The French are especially worried about "national decline", while the Germans are "still tremendously economically, politically, and ideologically divided between the East and the West".

However, despite nostalgia being widespread, the word itself remains pejorative and "taboo", the report found, adding that "despite the widespread critiques of contemporary British society, and anxieties about the future, many citizens remain both resilient and begrudgingly optimistic - a point that sets them apart from participants in our French and German focus groups”.

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The report’s author Sophie Gaston, Demos' deputy director, said: "There is nothing to be gained in denigrating a longing for the past, when we consider how much it reveals about people's attitudes to the present and fears of the future.

"Nonetheless, there is a huge cost to governance when such a large proportion of citizens become resistant to change, when our communities become so divided and the sense of social competition so acute.

"It is the responsibility of politicians to listen to and address these concerns, and draw a convincing, empowering narrative to guide citizens through the change that lies ahead."