Conducted straight after the general election, this report examines shifting public attitudes to immigration and asylum, including the differences in attitudes between Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and Reform voters and what that means for the politics of immigration in the new parliament.
The research also examines public attitudes on a series of key issues:
- The role of immigration in the 2024 general election.
- Public priorities for the new government.
- Public trust in the main political parties on immigration, and trust in leading politicians on the issue.
- Public perceptions of immigration: do people think net migration will fall or increase? Which flows do people think make up most immigration to the UK?
- Public satisfaction with the government’s handling of immigration.
- Do people want immigration numbers to reduce, increase or stay the same?
- Attitudes to migration to fill different roles: would people cut the numbers of doctors, care workers, lorry drivers or hospitality staff coming to the UK?
- Asylum, Channel crossings and legal routes.
The British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker has followed public attitudes to immigration since 2015.
Fieldwork for the research also coincided with the violent disorder in parts of the UK this summer and so the research offers a snapshot of public attitudes at a time of heightened tensions.