Fresh research from the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) underscores how sharply education shapes British views on migration. Analysing data from its ‘Demographic Divides’ survey, NatCen reports that respondents without A-level qualifications are more than twice as likely to oppose regularising undocumented immigrants and to back right-wing parties than university graduates. By contrast, income and geography play smaller roles.
Sixty-five per cent of degree-holders believe ethnic diversity makes society stronger, compared with just 30 per cent of those educated to GCSE level or below. The gap is even wider on questions of asylum and deportation policy. The pattern diverges from the United States, where ethnicity and religion dilute education’s explanatory power.
![Education level now strongest predictor of UK attitudes on immigration, major study finds]()
For businesses and individuals navigating the practicalities behind these opinions, online platforms such as VisaHQ can streamline the visa application process and clarify eligibility requirements. Its quick-check tools and hands-on advisers—see https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/—help employers, students and skilled workers understand which documents, fees and lead times apply when moving staff to Britain, potentially easing some of the anxieties highlighted by NatCen’s research.
For employers and relocation managers the findings matter because public sentiment influences policy. Ministers weighing skilled-worker quotas, salary thresholds or post-study work concessions are acutely aware of electoral sensitivities in non-graduate constituencies. The study suggests that efforts to win support for pro-migration reforms may need to foreground economic contribution and local investment in areas with lower education levels.
NatCen’s authors argue that addressing skills gaps in the domestic workforce could soften anti-immigration sentiment over time. In the meantime, corporate communicators may wish to tailor messages about overseas talent to the educational profile of local communities hosting new projects or facilities.
Sixty-five per cent of degree-holders believe ethnic diversity makes society stronger, compared with just 30 per cent of those educated to GCSE level or below. The gap is even wider on questions of asylum and deportation policy. The pattern diverges from the United States, where ethnicity and religion dilute education’s explanatory power.
For businesses and individuals navigating the practicalities behind these opinions, online platforms such as VisaHQ can streamline the visa application process and clarify eligibility requirements. Its quick-check tools and hands-on advisers—see https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/—help employers, students and skilled workers understand which documents, fees and lead times apply when moving staff to Britain, potentially easing some of the anxieties highlighted by NatCen’s research.
For employers and relocation managers the findings matter because public sentiment influences policy. Ministers weighing skilled-worker quotas, salary thresholds or post-study work concessions are acutely aware of electoral sensitivities in non-graduate constituencies. The study suggests that efforts to win support for pro-migration reforms may need to foreground economic contribution and local investment in areas with lower education levels.
NatCen’s authors argue that addressing skills gaps in the domestic workforce could soften anti-immigration sentiment over time. In the meantime, corporate communicators may wish to tailor messages about overseas talent to the educational profile of local communities hosting new projects or facilities.
