The first Issues Index poll of 2014 by Ipsos-MORI on behalf of The Economist shows that concern about race relations and immigration is now, joint with the economy, the most important issue facing Britain – possibly a consequence of the relaxation on restrictions on migrant labour from Romania and Bulgaria as of January 1st. This puts worries about race relations and immigration at its highest since April 2008. Unsurprisingly, concern with race and immigration issues is at its most acute in the suburbs and among the relatively old.

Despite changes in their order, the top four issues of this index have remained constant over the past year. A slew of newspaper stories about problems in the NHS probably explain the steady rise in disquiet about its fate. It is now ranking at the fourth highest concern at 27%, 12 percentage points up from December 2012. The similar jump in concern about benefits and pensions fits the news too: welfare reform has been a hot topic in Parliament and the press over the past months following the Channel Four documentary “Benefits Street”.