Immigrants must speak English and should have access to benefits restricted, say Britons: Opinion pollfinds 95% believe the language is cornerstoneof Britishness
- Annual British social attitudespoll of 3,000 people revealed latest findings
- 95 per cent of population think people must speak English to be British
- The survey also revealed77 per cent of people want immigration reduced
Most people in Britain think immigrants should speak English and have their access to benefits restricted, but there is a ‘disconnect’ between politicians’ attitudes and public opinion on the issue, a survey has found.
The annual British social attitudes poll revealed that 95 per cent of the population think the English language is the cornerstone of Britishness.
Around three out of four said you must be born in Britain or have lived here for most of your life to be classified as British, and six out of ten think EU migrants should wait three years before claimingbenefits.
The poll of 3,000 people was carried out by the state-funded NatCen group last year. It found that politicians contributed to anti-immigrant sentiment because of a ‘growing disconnect’ between the ‘Liberal political class’ and mainstream public opinion on the issue.
The study says: ‘There is a clear and intense demand for action on the issue from one section of the electorate, a demand that politicians ignore at their peril.
The survey, which has been run every year since 1983, found there has been a hardening of attitudes to immigration in the last decade – the numbers of participants who believe that people must speak English to be British has gone up from 86 per cent to 95 per cent.
Across the same period, the percentage of people who say that to be British you must have lived here most of your life has gone up from 69 per cent to 77 per cent. The survey also revealed that 77 per cent want immigration reduced.
NatCen’s chief executive Penny Young said: ‘In an increasingly diverse, multi-cultural country, we might expect people to be more relaxed about what it means to be British, yet the trend is going in the opposite direction.
'It is now harder to be considered British than in the past and one message comes through loud and clear, if you want to be British, you must speak English.
‘As we debate whether Ukip’s vote will hold up in the general election, the survey shows that the public is still not convinced that politicians have got a gripon immigration.'
Answer the following questions:
1)What do most people in Britain think?
2)Do people and politicians have the same opinion?
3)What is the most important thing concerned with Britishness?
4)What did three out of people say?
5)What did six out of ten people say?
6)Why do politicians contribute to an anti-immigration sentiment?
7)What is there a demand for?
8)How have attitudes changed in the last decade?
9)What does NatCen’s chief executive say we might expect?
10)What is the public not convinced about?
Match the following words to the right definition:1)poll / a) asking for, demanding
2)cornerstone / b) most important thing, foundation
3)attitudes / c) danger
4)revealed / d) think, consider
5)disconnect / e) stiffening, stronger, firmer,
6)issue / f) beliefs, opinion
7)claiming / g) showed, demonstrated, unveiled
8)peril / h) control, hold on
9)run / i) problem, subject, topic
10)hardening / j) no contact, disagreement
11)believe / k) fashion, tendency
12)across / l) maintain, sustain,remain, keep
13)gone up / m) during, throughout
14)trend / n) increased, risen
15)hold up / o) carry out, administer, manage
16) grip / p) survey, investigation, research