A groundbreaking survey by thinktank British Future and the Observer reveals that, despite some doubts over immigration and the economy, Britons of all stripes are confident about their identity and their family's prospects
Infographic representations of the poll results
It is often said that it was Enoch Powell's "rivers of blood" speech in 1968 that marked the moment when politicians became wary of debating immigration. "For 40 years we have, by mutual consent, sustained a political silence on the one issue where British people most needed articulate political leadership," said Sir Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, in a 2008 speech to mark four decades since Powell's incendiary address.
The tendency to fight shy of a subject about which people feel so strongly, and on which they want solutions, is particularly evident during general election campaigns. Politicians' fears of being accused of playing the race card or indulging in "dog-whistle" politics invariably shut down discussion at the very time demand for debate is highest. Before the 2010 election, the Labour MP Frank Field noted that there were two subjects that voters really wanted to hear their politicians talk about: the economy, which turned out to be central to the campaign, and immigration, which did not. "Despite brief mentions in the manifestos, immigration is the issue that dare not speak its name," he said.
A poll by the new independent, non-partisan thinktank British Future, in conjunction with the Observer, is not just, or even mainly, about immigration. It addresses a range of questions, teasing out people's hopes, fears, views of their identity and approaches to integration. It tests national attitudes towards the big events of 2012, including the London Olympics and the Queen's diamond jubilee. It gauges our optimism and delves into the depth of our national pride in England, Scotland, Wales. It asks questions about what we feel about ourselves, our country, our neighbourhoods. On immigration it seeks a new approach to help open up debate. The polling does not focus on whether people like immigrants or immigration but more on what, in practical terms, immigration means to them. It is not about "them and us", with migrants in one corner, but seeks to identify how it impacts on people's lives and schools, the restaurants they visit and the Premier League football they watch.
The overall impression is optimistic, upbeat. It highlights a nation that has many concerns about immigration but one that also sees many positives. The findings suggest that, rather than being strongly anti-immigrant, people's views towards those born outside the UK are more nuanced, more considered. Their attitudes to immigration seem to relate to the practical effects they feel it has on their lives rather than stem from kneejerk prejudice towards immigrants.
That said, the worries about the negative effect of too much immigration on life in Britain come over strongly. Some 60% more of those questioned think immigration is bad for the availability of housing than think it is good, while 56% thought it had been bad for the availability of jobs. Some 48% more people thought it had a negative effect on crime and disorder than the reverse and 25% thought it had a bad effect on schools.
Yet 60% more people say the effect has been good for the country's cuisine than think the reverse. For film and music the plus rating is 29%, for Premier League football 26%, and for entrepreneurs and new businesses 36%.
Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham, who has argued for a more open debate on immigration, says the flow of such data is vital. It shines a light, he argues, on where the public wants the debate on immigration to take place and demonstrates that attitudes are not driven primarily by anti-immigrant feeling.
"These figures show people are not anti-immigrant per se. They have views about how immigration affects them. People are worried about the effects on their housing and schools and jobs. It is the opportunity for politicians to get in the mix." The problem arises, he says, when politicians don't engage and it is the extremist parties who fill the void, as the BNP did at the last European elections.
Adding to a sense that people are more relaxed than we might have thought, and that hope lives on for a successful multi-ethnic Britain, 60% of people reject Norman Tebbit's "cricket" test and say people should be allowed to cheer for whichever national team they want, however long they have lived in this country.
Perhaps surprisingly, it finds the sense of Britishness is stronger among some immigrants than the British born. The poll found that Asians in Britain have the strongest sense of "British belonging", with 70% saying they belong strongly, compared with 66% of white Britons who feel the same.
On the economy, a stubborn optimism also rings through despite the downturn. Some 56% of women feel optimistic that 2012 will be good for them and their families, compared with 48% of men. There are domestic fears and anxieties – rising bills and unemployment chief among them – but a cheerful view prevails of the big events on the national calendar: 64% think the Olympics will be good for the national mood, while 68% think the same about the jubilee. There is a lot to look forward to.
There is plenty of positive thinking on ethnic mixing, including a view that there should be more of it in schools. Some 51% of us support the idea that government should encourage more mixed schools, and not leave parental choice unchecked. Only a fifth of us think that parental choice trumps everything else, even if that results in ethnic ghettos in some schools. There is strong support for more to be done to get the next generation to start mixing early. While black and Asian people are keenest to encourage ethnic mixing (60%), the large white majority doesn't lag far behind (51%).
By casting the net wide, the survey captures fears but also a sense that challenges can be met. It reflects a nation willing to see the good things about immigration as well as the problems it throws up. It is perhaps this that will encourage politicians to be less afraid of the issue in future.