Roughly one third of British people believe that violence is an acceptable expression of dissatisfaction with immigration, according to new polling results from WeThink polling.
These results come following recent riots in the UK, which took place after 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana was charged with the murders of three girls, Alice Dasilva Aguiar (9), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7), and Bebe King (6), and the attempted murder of 10 other people including 5 children and 2 adults.
Almost 40% of the 1,278 people polled by WeThink agreed with the statement: “When it comes to the refugee problem, violence is sometimes the only means that citizens have to get the attention of British politicians”.
Riots have gripped Britain’s streets since the end of July, when misinformation was spread about the identity of the man who killed 3 children in a horrific incident in Southport.
— WeThink (@wethinkpolling) August 12, 2024
Join us as we discover the British public’s thoughts about the riots, violence and immigration. pic.twitter.com/rcAjZPNrpu
When asked whether attacks against refugee homes are “sometimes necessary” to make it “clear to politicians that we have a refugee problem,” 34% of respondents agreed while 66% disagreed.
Similarly, 36% of people surveyed agreed that “xenophobic acts of violence are defensible” if they result in fewer refugees being settled in your town. 32% of respondents said that hostility against refugees is “sometimes justified,” even if it ends up in violence.
Despite this, 43% of people said that they were “concerned” about the recent rioting, while 40% said they were “disgusted” and 37% said they were “angry”.
Only 5% said that the rioting made them feel “patriotic”.
WeThink asked those surveyed how they would characterise recent events in Britain, to which 35% of people responded “a mix of riots and protests”.
Both “coordinated far-right attacks” and “other/don’t know” attracted 15% of respondents, while 10% thought they were best characterised as “primarily riots”.
“Domestic terrorism”, “mostly protests/demonstrations” and “protests” received 9%, 8% and 6% of respondents’ choices respectively.
When it came to what the British public understood to be the main cause of the unrest, WeThink said that 54% attributed the riots to “immigration,” while 52% of respondents said that they were caused by “racism”. “Violence for its own sake” was the third most popular reason with 40% of respondents claiming that to be the main cause.
Asked whether they support the goals/motivations of the riots, 54% of those who thought the riots were attributable to racism said they supported the rioting’s goal/motivation, while 80% of those who felt it was about immigration said that they supported rioting’s goal/motivation.
“Right-wing social media accounts” and the way their content is spread “definitely” contributed to the recent wave of rioting, according to 34% of people polled, while only 5% said “definitely” not.
68% of respondents said social media platforms haven’t done enough to “stop misinformation” since the riots began, with 15% saying they had, while 17% weren’t sure.
Similarly, 68% of people said that individuals actively sharing false information online should face criminal charges. 16% said that they shouldn’t.
This comes as 28-year-old Jordan Parlour became the first person to be sent to prison over social media posts made in relation to the riots, while 26-year-old Tyler Kay was jailed for 38 months for using social media to stir up “racial hatred”.
Another poll carried out by polling company YouGov found that 52% of Britons polled thought that the police aren’t being tough enough on rioters, while 24% said they thought the policing response was “about right”.
How does the public response to the 2024 riots compare to 2011?
— YouGov (@YouGov) August 8, 2024
Fewer think the riots are being handled well this time, but that’s more down to increased ‘don’t knows’ rather than more thinking they are being handled badly
% saying have handled well
Police: 52% (-13 vs 2011)… pic.twitter.com/Qw74MwVv95
The same poll found that there was generally less confidence in the police’s ability to manage the riots, or in the judicial system’s ability to sentence rioters “effectively” than there was 13 years ago in 2011 – the last time serious rioting gripped the UK.
The pollster found that the public appetite for lengthy prison sentences and non-judicial measures like banning rioters from social media was lower in both cases than it had been in 2011.
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