A new report published today shatters mainstream consensus on voters' priorities and reveals that concerns around immigration are being inflamed by media exposure and political discourse, rather than being based on experience.
The study based on a YouGov poll and analysis of more than 4,000 people commissioned by Best for Britain, found that while people said immigration was among the top three challenges facing the country, it ranked far lower when people were asked about the issues affecting them and their community. In this context, immigration ranked seventh after the cost of living, health, the economy, crime, housing and the availability of jobs.
Only a quarter (26%) of all respondents selected immigration and asylum as one of the three most important issues facing them and their community - half the number who said it was one of the three most important issues facing the country (52%). This included fewer than half (43%) of former Labour voters now considering voting for Reform UK and fewer than one in ten Labour (8%), Liberal Democrat (8%) and Green (6%) supporters.
The findings strongly suggest that for most people, including those vital to Labour’s electoral coalition, concerns around immigration are not based on personal experience but are instead being heightened through the media by national politicians.
The polling found that the greatest disparity between those concerned with immigration nationally and locally can be seen in people who switched from Conservative to Labour in 2024 (27% locally, down from 64% nationally), and Labour voters who now say they are considering voting for Reform (43% locally, down from 89% nationally).
The study further reveals that voters are relatively relaxed about legal migration. Of those who ranked immigration and asylum as one of the top issues facing the country, only 37% of those who did so cited the amount of legal migration being too high as one of their top reasons why.
In total, only 19% of respondents overall indicated that they saw too much legal migration as a top issue facing the country. Among Labour’s winning 2024 coalition it was only one in ten (11%) and even among people planning to vote Reform UK at the next general election, only a minority (45%) said they had an issue with the overall levels of legal immigration.
The same disparity does not exist when it comes to public concerns about the economy and cost of living, both of which rank in the top three issues people say are either facing the country or facing their community. Of people who voted Labour in 2024, the cost of living (56%) and economy (39%) were a greater priority nationally, than immigration (34%). In a local context, almost five times as many people who voted Labour last year think the cost of living is a greater priority (62%) than immigration (13%). Around twice as many prioritised Health (28%) and the economy (24%).
Tom Brufatto, Executive Director of Policy and Research at Best for Britain, said:
“The data clearly demonstrates that media exposure and political discourse are fanning the flames of anti-immigration sentiment in the UK, causing the government to lose support both to its right and left flank simultaneously.
“Measures designed to tackle the cost of living, such as undoing the economic damage caused by Brexit through closer trading relations with the EU, will instead draw support from across the political spectrum."