Majority of UK Voters Question Current High Legal Migration Levels

In our recent Geostrategy poll, a significant portion of UK voters expressed concerns about current levels of legal immigration. According to the survey, 49% of respondents believe there is “too much” legal migration, while 31% feel that the current level is appropriate. This sentiment is particularly pronounced among older voters: 65% of those aged 65 and over think that there is too much legal immigration in the UK. Additionally, the poll reveals varying perspectives along party lines. Among those who voted Conservative in the 2024 General Election, 59% view current legal migration levels as excessive, while 75% of those who supported the Reform Party share the same view. Even among Labour voters, who are traditionally perceived as more supportive of looser immigration policies, 42% also believe that the level of legal migration is too high.

These findings highlight a growing concern in the UK around immigration, which has long been a defining issue in British politics. Historically, immigration policy debates in the UK focused on illegal migration or asylum-seeking. However, our latest poll indicates that it is no longer just irregular immigration causing alarm; many voters also question the scale of legal routes into the country, including work visas, family reunification, and international student pathways.

To understand why these views may have intensified, it is worth examining how legal migration to the UK has evolved over the past few decades. Before the early 1990s, net migration—defined as the difference between the number of people entering the UK and those leaving—was relatively low. In the mid-1990s, net migration began to climb, influenced by the country’s economic expansion, labour market needs, and policy changes enabling broader immigration channels. A major turning point occurred in 2004, when the European Union expanded to include several Eastern European countries such as Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Under EU freedom of movement rules at the time, citizens from these countries gained the right to live and work in the UK. This resulted in a sharp increase in legal migration.

In subsequent years, both Labour and Conservative governments introduced policies aimed at managing and, in some cases, pledging to reduce legal migration. For instance, the Conservative-led governments from 2010 onward frequently pledged to bring net migration down to “tens of thousands.” Despite these promises, net migration figures often remained far higher than governmental targets.

The Brexit vote in 2016 transformed the policy landscape around EU migrants. Once the UK officially left the European Union, freedom of movement ended. While Brexit curbed some of the inflows from the EU, it simultaneously opened up new legal pathways for people from non-EU countries. As a result, even after Brexit, overall legal immigration remained substantial.

This complex backdrop helps explain why many Britons are increasingly attentive to the topic of legal migration. Our poll underscores that concern is not limited to traditional demographics or party affiliations. While it is true that older Britons and right-leaning voters are more likely to be sceptical about current migration levels, a sizable minority among typically more liberal or left-leaning groups also shares these misgivings. This suggests that public attitudes toward legal immigration hinge on broader issues which are unlikely to be resolved in the short term —such as housing availability, pressures on public services, and cultural change.

Download the data tables for this poll.