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thomas davison

Half the British population think immigration 'is bad for the economy' as public support for welfare state falls to record low�62% believe benefits are too high & discourage work
�Shift in attitudes on welfare recipients over 20 years
�Low-paid workers have more immigration resentment

By Steve Doughty, Social Affairs Correspondent
PUBLISHED: 02:01, 17 September 2012 | UPDATED: 07:45, 17 September 2012

..

Public support for the welfare state has fallen to record lows, according to a Government-sponsored research report.
The popularity of the taxpayer-supported safety net for the unemployed and the sick has plunged amid growing fears that millions are cheating the benefit system, it found.
Nearly two thirds of the population, 62 per cent, think unemployment benefits are too high and discourage work, the British Social Attitudes survey said.

UK Border: For the first time, more than half the population reject claims that migrants are good for the economy, the report found (file picture)
Fewer than one in five, 19 per cent, thought benefits were too low and caused hardship.
Only ten years ago opinion was equally divided, with each attitude to benefits backed by 37 per cent of the population - suggesting that Labour�s 13 years in power led to deepening disillusion with the use of state benefits to boost the incomes of the poorest.
The annual report on the state of public opinion also showed deepening worries about high levels of immigration.
For the first time, more than half the population reject claims that migrants are good for the economy, it found.
Resentment over the economic impact of immigration is highest among lower-paid workers - the people who have faced the toughest competition from migrants for jobs - the report said.

The findings suggest there has been �a fundamental long-term change in attitudes towards welfare and benefit recipients� over the past two decades.
�Neither redistribution in general nor welfare benefits in particular are as popular as they once were,� the researchers said.
�This primarily reflects a change in public attitudes during Labour�s years in power between 1997 and 2010.�
The British Social Attitudes report, published every year since 1983, is widely seen as a barometer for the underlying attitudes that shape politics and government policies.
Financed by Iain Duncan Smith�s Department of Work and Pensions, together with a series of other state bodies and a number of private charities, it is based on a survey taken last year of more than 3,300 people.

Funding: The report was financed by Iain Duncan Smith's Department of Work and Pensions, together with a series of other state bodies and private charities
Just 28 per cent, few more than a quarter, want to see higher welfare spending, a figure down from 35 per cent in 2008 and 58 per cent 20 years ago.
There were also strong signs of disenchantment with levels of sickness benefit payments.
Only 53 per cent were in favour of more government spending on benefits for disabled people who cannot work last year, down from 72 per cent nine years previously.
'People�s changing views may reflect a belief that people are being incorrectly classified as disabled or unable to work, rather than any hard line view that disabled people do not deserve to be helped'
British Social Attitudes survey
�People�s changing views may reflect a belief that people are being incorrectly classified as disabled or unable to work, rather than any hard line view that disabled people do not deserve to be helped,� the report said.
The report said there has been �a move away from a belief that government should attempt to deliver a more equal society through income redistribution� and �a fundamental long-term change that leaves Britain looking like a more individualistic society, one in which those on benefits are judged more harshly than in the past and seen as less deserving of public assistance.�
On immigration, the argument that migration is good for the economy has lost support, the survey found.
In 2002 only 43 per cent of the population thought migrants harmed the economy. Now the figure is above half, at 52 per cent, with nearly two thirds of lower paid and lesser skilled people deploring the economic impact of migration.
More than half, 51 per cent, want immigration reduced by a lot, and, in total, three quarters want to see immigration cuts.

Falling popularity: Satisfaction with the NHS dropped, with only 58 per cent saying they were happy with the Health Service in 2011 compared to 70 per cent in 2010
�While economically comfortable and culturally more cosmopolitan groups show little change in their assessments of the economic impacts of immigration, economically and socially insecure groups have become dramatically more hostile.�
Demand for more general public spending went up in 2011 for the first time in a decade, British Social Attitudes said. In the face of recession, 36 per cent said they wanted more spending even if it meant higher taxes, up from 31 per cent in 2010.
However the call for higher spending is still far below the level of 2002, when 63 per cent, nearly two thirds, supported higher taxation to allow the government to increase spending.
'While economically comfortable and culturally more cosmopolitan groups show little change in their assessments of the economic impacts of immigration, economically and socially insecure groups have become dramatically more hostile'
British Social Attitudes survey
At the same time, satisfaction with the NHS dropped, with only 58 per cent saying they were happy with the Health Service in 2011 compared to 70 per cent in 2010.
English people are increasingly unhappy with the share of public spending soaked up by Scotland, the survey found.
It said 44 per cent of people in England think Scotland gets more than its fair share, more than doubled numbers in 2000. More than a quarter, 26 per cent of English people think Scotland should leave the UK, up from 14 per cent in 1997.
Support for independence is not growing in Scotland, the report said. Last year 32 per cent of Scots wanted independence, nine points up on a record low rating in 2010, but lower than the 35 per cent recorded in 2005.
The armed forces command wide support from the public, with 83 per cent saying they hold the forces in high or very high regard. Nine out of 10 people say they support forces personnel who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
However support for the mission in Afghanistan is weaker, with 48 per cent saying was wrong for Britain to send the military. Nearly six out of 10 say it was wrong to go to war in Iraq

So there you have it... The rich & left wing are happy with immigration and the poor have no choice? If there are skill shortages then train the 3,000,000 plus unemployed to do the job even if that takes 4 / 5 years to train them! The UK never train people yet there are millions of people who want to work and learn new skills.

Get rid of the EU,send the 3 million immigrants back, not forgetting the other 2 million plus illegals and our unemployed will have jobs again.

2Anne · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 399 Location: Norfolk

Only Half?? I suppose the rest are immigrants!!
Never mind give it a few more years and only 10% of the population will be white and then no one will care what they think.