Janice R. Andrews
According to a recent Ipsos poll, immigration has become Britain’s top priority problem. For the first time since 2016, almost one-third of Britons think that immigration is the nation’s biggest security threat. This change in attitude comes after the recent riots in the UK, which appear to have affected popular perception.
Concern over crime has also significantly increased, according to the study, with 25% of respondents seeing it as a major concern—up from only 6% the month before. Since August 2019, this is the greatest degree of worry around crime.
The National Health Service (NHS) is still a vital topic, but since the previous election, public concern has dropped to second place. After housing, poverty, and inflation, the economy came in third.
It’s interesting to note that racial relations have also drawn attention, with 11% of respondents citing it as a key concern—the highest number since June 2020, when George Floyd was killed in the US. Young individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 (19%) and ethnic minorities (26%) express the most concern about racial relations.
“The impact of the recent riots is evident in this month’s data, as immigration returns to the forefront of public concern for the first time in nearly eight years,” said Ipsos researcher Mike Clemence.
Between August 7 and August 13, Ipsos gathered responses from 1,000 individuals around the United Kingdom for this survey.
