Refugees are welcome says poll, as Yorkshire celebrates integration
Yorkshire and Humber is a more welcoming place to refugees and migrants than it was three years ago, according to data from an opinion poll published to coincide with the Yorkshire Integration Festival on 30 September 2023 where thousands attended.
The survey, commissioned by Migration Yorkshire and conducted by Focaldata, revealed that 57 per cent of people in the region think Yorkshire and Humber is welcoming to refugees and people seeking asylum, compared with 46 per cent in 2020. Only 26 percent say our region is not welcoming, down from 33 per cent in 2020.
There’s strong support in the region for the UK’s welcome of people fleeing Ukraine, with around three-quarters giving a positive answer when asked about the UK government’s decision to accept refugees from the country. Similar to the last poll, more than half of people think Yorkshire and Humber should host its ‘fair share’ of the UK’s refugees (54 per cent).
Around a fifth of respondents say they would consider hosting a refugee for a minimum of six months, and a similar proportion would consider fostering a child refugee who has arrived alone in the UK seeking asylum. Close to half of respondents said they would like to support refugees in another way.
The same survey suggests that there is more social interaction, with people more likely to say they often speak with migrants living in their community: 16 percent compared with 11 per cent three years ago.
People are slightly more likely to think migration has had a positive than negative impact on the UK as a whole, and on their local community. However, when asked if their views about migration have changed in the last couple of years, 35 per cent of people say they have become more negative, compared with 16 per cent saying they have become more positive. Most commonly though, people say that their views haven’t changed (46 per cent).
Dave Brown, Head of Migration Yorkshire said:
“Migration is on the news every day, but it is important to find out what the public think. We’ve found again that a majority of people here in Yorkshire and Humber see our region as welcoming to refugees and want to help in some way.
It is good for our neighbourhoods that there is more interaction between migrants and the rest of the community, and broad consensus on the need to provide integration support for refugees.
As always there are different views among different people but it is clear that Yorkshire and Humber remains a place of welcome.”
The results were published to coincide with the Yorkshire Integration Festival in Sheffield on Saturday 30 September. The Festival is a celebration of the positive impact made by migrants and refugees in Yorkshire and Humber, showcasing the diverse range of cultures and customs that make our region a special place to live. There were an estimated 5,000 people attending the event in the Peace Gardens and Winter Garden.
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