The NatCen Blog

Here we’ll be talking about our research in the context of the latest news, opinion and
analysis through comments from our team of experts. We’d love to hear from you, so post comments or get in touch with us.

To keep up-to-date with our latest blog posts and reports, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Posted on 20 October 2017 by Guy Goodwin, Chief Executive

Three things Europe tells us about ourselves

Today it’s European Statistics Day, which provides a good opportunity to take a look at ourselves in the context of Europe.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: British Social Attitudes, Europe, European Social Survey, European Union, immigration, political trust, stats
Posted on 25 April 2017 by Matt Jonas, Campaigns and Marketing Manager

The End of Liberalism?

Brexit, Trump, Le Pen…. Are we witnessing a significant turning point in British and Western society? Drawing on more than 30 years data, the forthcoming British Social Attitudes report will ask whether we are truly experiencing a major shift towards conservative social values.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: British Social Attitudes, immigration, politics, social and political attitudes
Posted on 06 March 2017 by Guy Goodwin, Chief Executive

Unanswered Questions on Migration - Can we balance public opinion and the needs of the economy?

Guy Goodwin, NatCen's Chief Executive, explores the delicate balance of public opinion around immigration and Britain's economic needs.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: Brexit, EU, immigration
Posted on 09 January 2017 by Guy Goodwin, Chief Executive

Overstaying their welcome: Do the public want a reduction in international students?

NatCen Chief Executive Guy Goodwin discusses what the public think about the numbers international students coming to Britain.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: British Social Attitudes, immigration, stats, students
Posted on 16 November 2016 by Sir John Curtice, Senior Research Fellow

What Do Voters want from Brexit?

Given how contentious the debate about the desirable shape of Brexit is proving to be, it is perhaps surprising that there has not been more polling than we have seen so far on what voters would like to emerge from the negotiations between the UK and the EU.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: Brexit, EU Referendum, European elections, immigration
Posted on 13 August 2015 by NatCen, Research

What do British people really think about immigration?

This is the third in a series of blogs using the European Social Survey (ESS), a high quality survey across a number of European countries, to look at how the UK compares with the continent on some of the big issues dominating political debate.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ESS, Europe, immigration
Posted on 27 May 2015 by NatCen, Research

NatCen Insights: Queen's Speech 2015

The first Queen’s speech of the new Conservative Government was delivered at the State Opening of Parliament today, announcing a wide range of new legislation in 21 new Bills. Here we have a look at what NatCen research tells us about some of the new policies.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: childcare, EU, Europe, European Union, Right to Buy, Scottish independence, crime and justice, devolution, extremism, immigration, income and welfare, mental health, spend
Posted on 07 January 2014

Politicians Still Behind the Curve on Immigration Debate

The media just loves the immigration debate, and Nick Robinson's programme tonight (The Truth About Immigration, 21:30 on BBC2) is proving the perfect hook. The programme includes our most recent British Social Attitudes finding that over 3 in 4 of us (77%) want to see a reduction in immigration. Such a high figure is of course newsworthy and yet, here at NatCen, we know that this is not a sudden trend. Since we first asked this question in 1995, when levels of immigration were relatively low, at least two-thirds of the population has consistently said that they would like to see a reduction in immigration. Politicians were out of step with the public back then, concerned that debating immigration would be seen as racist. Now they are prepared to talk openly about it, but are still struggling to keep up with the more complex nuances emerging.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: BSA, British Social Attitudes, immigration, politicians
Posted on 02 May 2013

What light can research shed on the multiculturalism debate?

A couple of days ago, I attended an event: ‘The Politics of Diversity and One Nation’ held by Demos about whether multiculturalism would sink or swim as a major integration policy in the years to come. It’s a big topic that has raged on in the media and in parliament, with much generalistion, anecdo...
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: diversity, immigration, multiculturalism