Refugee Action and Asylum Matters, as part of the Lift the Ban coalition, commissioned ICM Unlimited to carry out a representative poll among 1,000 adults living in constituencies that the Conservatives gained from Labour in the 2019 general election and now have majorities of less than 10%. The poll explored public attitudes towards the UK’s asylum system, with a particular focus on asylum seekers’ right to work (or lack thereof) and the support that asylum seekers receive from the Government.

Media coverage

The findings of the research were referenced widely in the media:

‘Asylum-seekers’ 3p-a-week increase an insult, say campaigners‘, The Guardian

‘Charities say 3p rise for asylum support is an “insult”, as UK residents say they could not live on total‘, inews

‘It’s time to give asylum seekers the right to work‘, The Times Red Box

‘Voters in marginal Conservative seats back asylum seekers’ right to work, refugee charities find‘, Morning Star

Findings

• Just under eight in ten adults living in these tightly contested constituencies agree that the integration of asylum-seekers is important and that it would help integration if asylum-seekers were allowed to work if their claim takes more than six months to process (77%). The level of agreement is similarly high among 2019 Conservative voters (78%) and 2019 Labour voters (77%)

• Around seven in ten people would prefer that asylum-seekers were allowed to work to support themselves rather than be forced to rely on Government support while their asylum claim is being processed (73%). A clear majority of 2019 Conservative voters in these seats think the same (68%), as do eight in ten 2019 Labour voters (79%)

• Three-quarters of adults living in these constituencies don’t think that they could live on £5.66 a day – the current rate of asylum support – to meet all their essential living needs (74%). Only one in five think that they could manage on this amount (21%)

• Nearly two-thirds of people think that the £5.66 a day that asylum seekers receive as Government support is too little (64%), with one in five thinking the amount is about right (20%), and just under one in ten thinking that it is too much (8%)

Methodology

The poll was commissioned by Refugee Action and Asylum Matters, as part of the Lift the Ban coalition, and carried out by ICM Unlimited. ICM interviewed a representative sample of 1,005 adults aged 18+ living in constituencies that the Conservatives gained from Labour in the 2019 general election and now have majorities of less than 10% (35 constituencies in total). The survey was conducted online between 27 August and 9 September 2020. The data has been weighted by age, gender, constituency, ethnicity, working status, tenure, and education level. It has also been weighted by 2019 general election vote.