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Most people in Britain think immigrants should speak English and have their access to benefits restricted, but there is a ‘disconnect’ between politicians’ attitudes and public opinion on the issue, a survey has found.
The annual British social attitudes poll revealed that 95 per cent of the population think the English language is the cornerstone of Britishness.
Around three out of four said you must be born in Britain or have lived here for most of your life to be classified as British, and six out of ten think EU migrants should wait three years before claiming benefits.
The poll of 3,000 people was carried out by the state-funded NatCen group last year. It found that politicians contributed to anti-immigrant sentiment because of a ‘growing disconnect’ between the ‘Liberal political class’ and mainstream public opinion on the issue.
The study says: ‘There is a clear and intense demand for action on the issue from one section of the electorate, a demand that politicians ignore at their peril.
‘Yet responding to the concerns of the voters worried about immigration today risks alienating the rising sections of the electorate whose political voice will become steadily louder in elections to come.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ge-cornerstone-Britishness.html#ixzz34rM1l3fx
The annual British social attitudes poll revealed that 95 per cent of the population think the English language is the cornerstone of Britishness.
Around three out of four said you must be born in Britain or have lived here for most of your life to be classified as British, and six out of ten think EU migrants should wait three years before claiming benefits.
The poll of 3,000 people was carried out by the state-funded NatCen group last year. It found that politicians contributed to anti-immigrant sentiment because of a ‘growing disconnect’ between the ‘Liberal political class’ and mainstream public opinion on the issue.
The study says: ‘There is a clear and intense demand for action on the issue from one section of the electorate, a demand that politicians ignore at their peril.
‘Yet responding to the concerns of the voters worried about immigration today risks alienating the rising sections of the electorate whose political voice will become steadily louder in elections to come.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ge-cornerstone-Britishness.html#ixzz34rM1l3fx
