Fear and HOPE 2017 survey, one of the most comprehensive studies of English attitudes towards race, faith, belonging and other contemporary issues.
Despite recent turbulent events – four terrorist attacks in three months, the Brexit negotiations, the Grenfell Fire – our poll of over 4,000 people in England suggests that, overall, the country is an increasingly tolerant and open place.
Yet despite the nation becoming more open and tolerant as a whole, responses to Brexit have left us more divided, too, with those most opposed to and supportive of Brexit showing little sign of ever compromising.
Encouragingly, 55% of people think that immigration has been good for Britain, up from 40% in 2011. Almost 90% believe immigration is essential and that economic need should determine its future levels.
However, attitudes towards Muslims and Islam have simultaneously worsened, with just over half of people (52%) saying that Islam poses a threat to the West, and 42% saying that they are more suspicious of Muslims as a result of the recent terrorist attacks.
These are worrying results and clearly more must be done to tackle the rise of Islamophobia. Thankfully the vast majority (77%) stand firmly against the conflation of extremists’ actions with an entire religion.
Fear and HOPE 2017 also has startling revelations about the support for our various political leaders, reactions to the Grenfell Fire, and how the generations split on key issues. More worryingly, the report indicates that 14% of adults identify with Nigel Farage as the political leader with views closest to their own.
There is some welcome news in our survey, but also areas of deep concern. As Britain enters the political and economic uncertainty of Brexit, coupled with the threat of further terrorist attacks, there are real dangers that the divisions and anxieties in society will widen.
No comments:
Post a Comment