Sign Up

Anti-Migrant Backlash Growing in Europe

A new Financial Times/Harris poll reveals rising anti-migration backlash in the big EU member states.

October 22, 2013

Credit: Lightspring/Shutterstock.com

1. National restrictions on EU migrants’ rights to access social benefits were backed by 83% of Britons, 73% of Germans and 72% of French respondents.

2. About 3 in 5 respondents disapproved of Romanian and Bulgarian citizens gaining the right to work in any EU nation. It’s a basic right of EU membership.

3. 2 in 3 Britons and more than half of Germans and Spaniards felt the EU would be better with fewer powers. 44% of Italians and 43% of French respondents agreed.

4. 1 in 4 British and French respondents and 19% of Italians said they were likely to vote for a euroskeptic political party in the next European parliamentary elections.

From Poll backlash expected amid hostility to migrants in EU by Alex Barker (Financial Times)

 

 

Takeaways

1 in 4 British and French respondents said they were likely to vote for an anti-EU party in the next EU elections.