Immigration is British society's biggest problem, shows survey of public

[alp227]

Immigration is regarded by the public as the biggest issue facing British society, a major new survey taking stock of the state of the country reveals.

One in three people believes tension between immigrants and people born in the UK is the major cause of division, while well over half regard it as one of the top three causes.

Over the past two decades, both immigration and emigration have increased to historically high levels, with those entering the country exceeding those leaving by more than 100,000 in every year since 1998.

Yet the survey in a report by the thinktank British Future, entitled "State of the Nation: Where is Bittersweet Britain Heading?", also suggests the country is, at heart, tolerant of those who come to its shores.

full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/13/immigration-british-society-biggest-problem

[T_i_B]

1. Immigration the biggest problem? Rubbish.

Britain has many problems, but issues arising from immigration are not the worst we are facing as a society.

Issues such as unemployment, lack of opportunity & lack of community are far bigger issues then whether or not your neighbour was born in another country.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. However, the question wasn't "what do you think needs fixing"?

It was "what do you think causes the most division in British society as a whole today?" with, the answers being "tension between..." various groups. So someone who thinks that the English Defence League are the biggest threat to the country would answer "tension between immigrants and people born in Britain" (or "between different religions" or "between different ethnicities&quot . The question is asking people to judge what gets other people divided. And it's true that Tories and UKIP supporters do bang on a lot about immigration.

[T_i_B]

5. "What causes the most division in British society as a whole today?"

I would be more inclined to say tabloid newspapers then immigrants.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Again, 'immigrants' was not one of the answers

"tension between immigrants and people born in Britain" was. I'd agree with you that tabloids have played a major part in building up that tension. But the answer does not mean that people who chose it think immigrants cause the tension, any more than it means that they think people born in Britain cause the tension.

I don't like the headline The Observer used. It's misleading.

[intaglio]

2. The opinion of those surveyed is ...

Not one of several choices offered to those surveyed is ...

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. 1 in 4 seem to want the welfare state dismantled for everyone

Looking at the graphic, to "which do you think should be able to used public services and receive welfare benefits if they needed them?", only 75% said yes for "someone who was born in Britain, and has worked and paid taxes in Britain for 15 years". That's not a question of immigration; it's a desire to end the NHS, unemployment benefits - maybe even schools - for everyone.

[LeftishBrit]

9. And that may be one of the scariest of all the findings of the survey.

[DonCoquixote]

7. This comign from the nation

That considers Chicken Tikka Masala a national dish?
That drinks the tea they got from India and China?

[LeftishBrit]

8. What is interesting here...

is that people are much more likely to regard immigration as a national problem, than a problem in their local area - and this is so whether or not there are actually many immigrants in their local area. As I remember, this has also been found in some other surveys. I would conclude that much anti-immigrant sentiment is influenced by the media, rather than personal experience. Unfortunately, the media propaganda has consequences.

The biggest causes of division in British society are our serious and increasing economic inequalities - both between people, and between regions of the country. And even looking only at ethnic divisions - well, it's a bit ironic that people are looking at immigration as the source of division, in this week of renewed tension in Belfast.