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UK leads the world in concern about migration

People in the UK are far more concerned about immigration than people in other countries with similar levels of migrants, according to a Gallup poll. According to Gallup’s inaugural World’s Most Important Problem report, just over one in five Britons (21%) named immigration as their No. 1 concern, statistically tied with mentions of the economy (23%). In only six other countries, including the Netherlands (13%), Portugal (12%) and Ireland (11%) do at least one in 10 adults name immigration as the most important national problem. Nevertheless, the poll found that despite high levels of national concern, most Britons said immigration is a good thing – a sentiment that grew over time between 2016 and 2023.