by British public opinion has completely rejected immigration compared to 13 years ago, according to research by the Institute of Politics at King’s College London.
The proportion of Britons who believe employers should prioritize native-born workers over immigrants has more than halved, from 69 per cent in 2009 to 30 per cent in 2022. The only other countries in the survey with less share this view are Germany and Sweden.
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The researchers also noted that the decline was at least partly due to a shift in attitude among older generations: while in 2009, 73 percent of those born before 1945 thought employers should prioritize native-born workers over immigrants, now only 38 percent Down.
“Politicians often misinterpret public opinion about immigration,” says Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the Institute of Politics. “In the 2000s, the Labor government’s rhetoric and policy on the issue was more relaxed than social preference and has probably paid the price – but the current government is falling into a reverse trap.”
Ella Hollowood
Our other charts of the week. . .
On February 21, Antarctic sea ice extent fell to a record low of 1.79 million square kilometers, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. This eclipsed the previous record of 1.92 million km2 set on February 25, 2022. Since mid-December, the range has remained well below last year’s levels.
Although there were two lowest lows in 2022 and 2023, four of the five highest lows have occurred since 2008, the long-term trend between 1979 and 2023 is almost static. However, since 2016 there has been a sharp decline in sea ice coverage. This is fueling research into potential causes and whether this is a sign of a significant downward trend.
Stefan Bernard
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Ahead of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, figures from the European Gender Institute show that women make up a third of key decision makers in the average large listed company in the EU. This is more than twice as much as ten years ago.
The greatest progress has been made in Portugal, where there are 4.5 times more female decision-makers than in 2012. The only country where the proportion is now lower is Latvia, a third less than ten years ago.
France is closest to achieving gender parity. Women account for 45% of decision makers in the largest listed companies.
Amy Borrett
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Prison populations in England and Wales are expected to grow at a slower pace than previously expected due to delays in Covid arrears handling and strike action by the Criminal Bar Association in mid-2022.
Estimates, however, still suggest that the prison population will reach a ten-year high by the second half of 2023. This reflects the projected impact of the UK government’s target of increasing the number of police officers to 148,433 by March 2023.
Forecasts are sensitive to such political announcements as well as changes in sentencing behavior and the composition of cases before the courts.
Amy Borrett
Forty per cent of Britons believe the economy is one of the country’s biggest problems, ahead of concerns about the NHS, which has fallen by 17 percentage points since January this year.
Another 35 percent cite inflation and prices, a slight decline from the previous month, according to the Ipsos Emissions Index.
Concern about the economy is particularly pronounced among men, older age groups, and the middle class.
Federica Cocco
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