Recent work published by Lord Ashcroft on public attitudes towards immigration reflects the importance of age, class and education in shaping views. His report, Small island: Public opinion and the politics of immigration suggests there are seven segments of opinion among Britons on the topic of immigration.
“Universal Hostility” (16% of the population): the most negative group, hostile to all aspects of immigration and with nine in ten saying it is one of the top three issues facing the country. Members of this group are most likely to be working class, middle-aged and with low levels of formal education.
“Cultural Concerns” (16%): largely composed of older people, many of whom are owner occupiers, this group believe immigration has on the whole been bad for the UK. In particular they are concerned about cultural changes in their local area and/or in society, as well as the pressure of immigration on public services. They are less likely than average to say they have lost out to immigrants, either in the jobs market or in accessing benefits or other public services.
“Competing for Jobs” (14%): while being no less likely than those in ‘Cultural Concerns’ to think the disadvantages of immigration outweigh the advantages overall, this group is most concerned about the impact of immigration on jobs and wages. Although they acknowledge that immigrants often work hard for low pay doing jobs that others will not, they are more likely than average to think immigrants take jobs that would otherwise go to British people and/or that they push down wages.
“Fighting for Entitlements” (12%): This group also places immigration at the top of its list of concerns, and is predominantly concerned about its impact on competition for public services and benefits. This group is older than average with relatively low levels of formal education.
“Comfortable pragmatists” (22%): Comprising largely of graduates and professionals, this group shows little concern about immigration as an issue. Most have a balanced view, believing immigration has put pressure on the economy and public services, but that it has also enriched the country and society
“Urban Harmony” (9%): Predominantly young and based in urban centres, particularly London, this group is the most ethnically diverse of all the segments. While recognising the cultural and economic benefits of immigration, this group has mixed views on immigration. Being concentrated in urban centres they are more likely than average to have seen and felt the impact of immigration on competition for work, wages, access to housing or other public services and the character of the local area.
“Militantly Multicultural” (10%): Dominated by graduates and professionals, with the greatest concentration of public sector employees, this group is overwhelmingly positive about nearly every aspect of immigration. They value the economic and cultural contribution of immigrants and are twice as likely as average to employ immigrants to clean or do building jobs. For this group, immigration comes at the very bottom of their list of concerns for the country.
