Nearly Half Of Brits Feel Like 'Strangers In Their Own Country', New Poll Reveals
Nearly half of Brits feel like “strangers in their own country”, according to a new poll.
The findings have been published just a week after Keir Starmer provoked a furious row by saying the same thing.
The prime minister was compared to Enoch Powell after he said the UK risked becoming “an island of strangers” due to rising immigration.
Overall, half of British people feel “disconnected” from society, the research found.
However, those behind the investigation insisted that immigration is just one of the reasons behind the findings, with financial insecurity, the rising use of technology and the aftermath of the pandemic also playing a part.
The results form part of a new project on national cohesion called This Place Matters, which has been carried out by the University College London Policy Lab, Citizens UK and the More in Common think-tank.
It found that Asian Britons feel marginally more disconnected from society than white people and there are concerns about the benefits of multiculturalism.
Younger people are less trusting of others, the research found, while many believe the system is “rigged” against them in favour of the wealthy.
The report also identified rising community tensions as a result of last year’s riots, religious differences and concerns about hate and racism.
Many Britons are pessimistic about the country’s future, according to the report.
Luke Tryl, UK director of More in Common, said: “Above all else, this research shows an urgent need to think again about how we rebuild a united and cohesive society.
“The polling puts into sharp relief something that will come as no surprise to many Britons - a growing sense that we’ve turned inward, away from each other, becoming more distant and less connected.
“The prime minister’s warning that we risk becoming an ‘island of strangers’ resonates with millions who say they feel disconnected from those around them.
“But it would be a mistake to say that immigration and lack of integration are the sole causes of our fragmenting social fabric. The public point to a range of forces driving us apart: some cite the retreat from workplaces to screens; others talk about the loss of shared spaces and rituals that once brought us together.
“For many, it’s the simple feeling that the cost of living crisis has made a social life feel like a luxury.”
He said there was “a clear need for new creative solutions to help bring people together, and facilitate meaningful connections”.