Poll in the UK: Britons oppose immigrants from Israel almost as much as immigrants from Pakistan
The major YouGov immigration poll shows that 47% now believe that the arrival of immigrants from Israel to the Kingdom should be prevented entirely or at least reduced, with only Russia, Pakistan, and Nigeria in a worse position. Even immigrants from Egypt are more welcome. Notable in their opposition to accepting Israelis: supporters of the Labour Party and the Greens, but also the far-right Reform UK.
A new poll published in the UK, which examined the attitude of Britons towards accepting immigrants from various countries, shows that their attitude towards accepting immigrants from Israel is almost as negative as their attitude towards accepting immigrants from Pakistan and Russia. The poll indicates a sharp increase of 8% in the proportion of Britons who believe that the number of immigrants from Israel to the UK should be reduced or their arrival prevented entirely compared to a similar poll conducted a decade ago. According to the pollsters, this is also due to the consequences of the war in Gaza and the deterioration of Israel's situation in global public opinion.
The poll by the major polling institute YouGov sought to investigate the attitudes of Britons in general towards immigration to the Kingdom, one of the most explosive issues in contemporary British politics, which is expected to be a central issue in the next general election. According to the poll, 69% of Britons believe that in the last 10 years immigration to the UK has been too high, and 43% believe that immigration mainly harms the UK — an increase of 10% from the 2016 poll.
However, the poll also examined the attitude of Britons towards accepting immigrants from specific countries, and the results show Israel's poor situation in public opinion: 47% answered that the arrival of immigrants from Israel should be prevented entirely or their number reduced, with only Russia (58%), Pakistan (52%), and Nigeria (48%) receiving worse figures on this question among the 23 countries tested. Other countries from which Britons want to see fewer immigrants or prevent their arrival entirely are Romania (47%), Egypt (44%), India (44%), and Turkey (43%).
Among those surveyed, only 5% answered that the arrival of more immigrants from Israel should be allowed, 24% answered that the number of immigrants arriving from it should be kept as is. This means that only 29% of Britons believe that immigrants from Israel should continue to be accepted at least at their current rate if not more.
Not surprisingly, the countries whose immigrants Britons are waiting for with open arms are mainly from the Anglo-Saxon sphere: 69% support accepting immigrants from Ireland and 68% from Canada and Australia. Following them on the list are Sweden (64%), Germany (62%), Japan (58%), France (58%), the USA (55%), and Poland (53%).
The pollsters note that Russia, which was in last place, saw a significant increase of 13% in the proportion of Britons who oppose the arrival of Russian immigrants, probably in the shadow of Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. On the other hand, there was a sharp decrease in the proportion of Britons who do not want to accept Polish immigrants, from 42% in 2016 to 26% now, reflecting the successful integration of many Polish immigrants in the UK in recent years.
Not surprisingly, the poll shows that supporters of the far-right Reform UK party have the most negative attitudes regarding the acceptance of immigrants, followed in descending order by supporters of the Conservative Party, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and finally the Greens. Reform UK supporters are also those who oppose the acceptance of immigrants from Israel more than anyone else (53%), although this is in line with their principled position on immigration. The next in line to oppose the arrival of immigrants from Israel are supporters of the Green Party (52%), Labour (48%), the Conservatives (45%), and the Liberal Democrats (41%).
