Gallup Poll Shows Migrant Acceptance on the Decline Globally

LONDON, KOMPAS.com – A Gallup poll listed some European nations as being the least-accepting countries for migrants consistent with a global downward trend.

Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, and North Macedonia are among the European nations that ranked highly on a Gallup poll for being less tolerant of migrants.

The increasingly intolerant views on migrants come as Europe prepared to unveil a new asylum plan in the wake of a blaze at an overcrowded camp in Greece that left thousands without shelter.

Read also: Four Migrants Charged with Arson for Lesbos Fire Involvement

The steepest decline in attitudes was in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, which have dealt with a massive influx of Venezuelans fleeing turmoil at home.

Canada was the most welcoming country toward migrants, followed by Iceland and New Zealand, according to the index based on more than 140,000 interviews in 145 countries and regions.

The poll asked people their views about having migrants living in their country, becoming their neighbours and marrying into their families.

Index scores ranged from 1.49 in North Macedonia to 8.46 in Canada, just below the maximum possible score of 9.

Gallup migration expert Julie Ray said the slight global fall in acceptance — 5.21 in 2019 down from 5.34 in 2016 — was driven by marked changes in Latin American countries.

Read also: Argentina Succeeds in Finalizing Debt Restructuring Agreement with Creditors

Peru's score tumbled to 3.61 from 6.33 in 2016, while the number of Colombians who said migrants living in their country was a good thing dropped to 29 percent from 61 percent.

Trump supporters

The first Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index was conducted amid the backlash following the 2015 migrant crisis in Europe when more than a million people headed to the continent fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond.

EU countries have long been at loggerheads over how to handle the influx of migrants, many of whom arrive in Mediterranean countries after perilous boat journeys.

The bloc's executive will unveil a plan on Wednesday which would legally oblige all members to host their share of refugees — something rejected by Poland and Hungary among others.

Read also: Prominent Figures and Academics Defend LGBT Rights in Poland

The proposal has been brought forward because of a fire on the Greek island of Lesbos a fortnight ago which destroyed a migrant camp holding more than 12,000 people — four times the number it was supposed to.

Among European countries, only Sweden and Ireland made the Gallup top 10 of most-accepting countries.

Ray said some people would be surprised by the positive attitudes in the United States, where President Donald Trump has made curbing immigration a cornerstone of his policy.

"Despite the fact that immigration is such a hot topic in the US, Americans are mostly very accepting of migrants," she said.

Read also: Trump Administration Detaining More Immigrant Children in Hotels

The United States ranked sixth in the index just behind Sierra Leone. Ray said Trump supporters were far more accepting of migrants than the global average, scoring 7.10.

Worldwide, the index showed acceptance of migrants was greater among younger generations, people with higher levels of education and those living in urban rather than rural areas.

(Writer: Emma Batha, Thomson Reuters Foundation | Editor: Ellen Wulfhorst)

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-migration-poll-idUSKCN26E0WW