New polling, commissioned from Public First by Universities UK,
has revealed that the UK public doesn’t see reducing legal
migration as a priority compared to other pressing issues, and
are not in favour of cutting the number of international
students.
When asked, the vast majority of respondents (64%) believed the
UK should host the same or more international students and only
9% of overall respondents thought that students and researchers
should discouraged from coming to the UK.
The public also strongly supported the contribution international
students make to the UK. The majority (62%) recognised that
international students gave more to the economy than they took
out, and 43% thought that British diplomacy benefits from hosting
international students who leave with positive impressions of the
UK after studying here, with only 11% disagreeing.
Following speculation that the government may look to restrict
the ability for international students, and their dependents, to
come to the UK, the polling also found:
- Only 32% of the public believed that international students
should be classed as immigrants in official figures.
- Only 18% support giving preferential treatment to
international students applying to ‘elite’ universities based on
university rankings. 67% felt that all those who meet the visa
requirements should come to the UK irrespective of the university
they are applying to.
- 48% think that international students should be able to stay
in the UK somewhere between 1-5 years with only 13% saying they
should leave immediately.
Contrary to reported potential changes to immigration policy, the
public do not place legal migration as a high priority challenge
for the government, and were far more concerned with issues such
as the cost of living, NHS pressures and ambulance wait times.
Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive of UUK, said:
“This new polling confirms that public perceptions of
immigration, and of international students in particular, are not
what the government may believe.
“The public understands the enormous contribution that
international students make to our economy, institutions and
research outputs, as well as enormously benefiting the UK’s
international reputation. Our international institutions are
cherished by the public, and we would hope that government policy
follows suit”
Notes to editors:
- Universities UK is the collective voice of 140 universities
in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its mission is
to create the conditions for UK universities to be the best in
the world; maximising their positive impact locally, nationally
and globally. Universities UK acts on behalf of universities,
represented by their heads of institution. www.universitiesuk.ac.uk
- Full Data is accessible here: https://www.publicfirst.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PF_UUK.pdf
