"Concern about immigration is a manufactured panic, a campaign group has said after polling suggested only a quarter of people think it is an important issue locally. As PA Media reports, a YouGov poll found only 26% of people said immigration and asylum was one of the three most important issues facing their community. This was half the 52% who said it was one of the biggest issues facing the country as a whole."
"The data clearly demonstrates that media exposure and political discourse are fanning the flames of anti-immigration sentiment in the UK, causing the government to lose support both to its right and left flank simultaneously. Measures designed to tackle the cost of living, such as undoing the economic damage caused by Brexit through closer trading relations with the EU, will instead draw support from across the political spectrum."
"And Saeema Syeda of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said the polling confirmed there is no immigration crisis. She went on: It's a manufactured panic, pushed by some politicians and parts of the media to distract from what actually matters to people. Across our communities, we share the same priorities making ends meet, accessing healthcare, decent schools and secure homes. We need to end scapegoating and look for solutions."
A YouGov poll found 26% of people said immigration and asylum was one of the three most important issues facing their community, compared with 52% who said it was one of the biggest issues facing the country. The polling placed immigration second among national concerns but seventh among local concerns. A campaign-group report described concern about immigration as a manufactured panic driven by media exposure and political discourse. The report warned that anti-immigration sentiment is shifting support away from the government on both the right and left. Poll respondents prioritised cost-of-living issues, healthcare, education and secure housing locally.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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