Are Europeans the Least Open to Immigration?

October 22, 2015

According to a Gallup study looking into the attitudes of people across 142 countries towards immigration, Europeans came out as the most negative in the world. The majority of respondents totalling 52% said immigration levels in their countries should be reduced. In every other region of the world, people were more likely to want immigration levels in their countries to either stay at their same level or to increase, rather than to decrease in nature.

The Gallup study posed the question:

“… In your view, should immigration in this country be kept at its present level, increased or decreased? …”

With the table below indicating the results:

Around 183,000 adults across 142 countries between 2012 and 2014 formed the Gallup World Poll. It is worth noting that the United Kingdom and Russia scored 69% and 70% respectively from the public wishing immigration levels to decrease. Interestingly, nearly all of the 10 Northern European countries (except United Kingdom, Latvia and Lithuania) would like the levels of immigration to stay the same or to increase. Elsewhere Greece voted 84% expressing the view of wishing immigration levels to be decreased. This view was shared by 56% of the Spanish respondents and 67% of Italians interviewed.

Education may have a part to play. Gallup finds that adults with a university degree are typically more likely than those with lower levels of education to want to see immigration kept at its present level or increased in their countries. These findings presented in the Gallup report, represent a brief understanding of how people view immigration on a global level.

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