ITV News Index

ComRes interviewed a representative sample of the British public over two waves between 6th and 15th December 2013 on the subject of Eastern European immigration to the UK.

Date Published: 16 Dec 2013

Categories: Economy | Politics | Public and communities | UK

Description

Nearly half of Britons say that they associate European immigration with being a “drain on the welfare state” (47%). 44% associate European immigration with “overwhelming levels”.

 More than four in five (82%) say they are concerned about Eastern European immigrants being eligible to receive benefits as soon as they arrive in Britain, including three in five (61%) who say they are very concerned. A similar number are concerned about immigrants increasing pressure on public services, such as local NHS services and schools (82%).

On the back of this, UKIP is thought to have the best policy on Eastern European immigration. A quarter of the British public (24%) back them on the issue, with the Conservatives and Labour both trailing on 15%.

The British public believe that Eastern European immigrants receive more in welfare and public services than they contribute in taxes (46%), with only one in seven saying they contribute more than they receive (14%).

More than half of Britons (57%) say that Eastern European immigration has had a negative impact on the welfare state.

There are also negative views towards the impact of Eastern European immigration on crime, with almost half (48%) of Britons saying crime levels have been negatively impacted.

Unemployment is also a major concern, half (51%) of Britons say that Eastern European immigration has had a negative impact, only one in ten (11%) say that it has had a positive impact. 

ComRes interviewed 2,029 British adults online between 6^th and 8^th December 2013 and 2,058 British adults online between 13^th and 15^th December 2013. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults aged 18+. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.