BNP support not linked to higher immigration says study
By Marina Kim
Higher levels of immigration should not be blamed for the rise of support for the BNP, a new study suggests.
The report by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows that the level of immigration in an area does not affect its support for the far right.
Instead, it says social exclusion and poor community cohesion are the reasons for increasing support for the party.
Based on the 2009 European election results, the top 10 UK regions that have most immigrants had fewer BNP voters than the average UK local authority.
“The findings suggest that areas which have higher levels of recent immigration are not more likely to vote for the BNP. In fact the more immigration an area has experienced, the lower its support for the far right. It seems that direct contact with migrants dissuades people from supporting the BNP,” says the report.
“We therefore urge mainstream politicians to strongly resist the notion that people have been driven into the arms of the BNP by the harm immigration is causing to their communities.” say the researchers.
The study acknowledges that the British people are concerned with immigration and in some parts of the UK it had a negative effect. However, in areas where people have had significant direct contact with migrants, their concern is not strong enough to push them into voting for the BNP.
Barking and Dagenham, that have recently seen a surge in immigration, and where BNP leader Nick Griffin is standing against Labour MP Margaret Hodge are the exception than the rule, say the researchers.
The report suggests that to undercut the support for the BNP, the politicians should therefore focus on fighting individuals’ isolation and exclusion.
“Mainstream politicians need to work harder to build strong communities and strong education systems, and to rebuild trust and confidence in democratic politics so marginalized and vulnerable people do not feel so disconnected.” says the study.
