Brexit changed people’s perception of immigrants for the better

New research by academics from four Universities including the University of Birmingham has found that anti-immigrant attitudes in the UK softened immediately following the Brexit referendum of 2016, among both Leave and Remain supporters. The report, ' A Populist Paradox? How Brexit Softened Anti-Immigrant Attitudes ' concludes that attitudes towards anti-immigration and anti-refugees were significantly softer even several months after the referendum. This was due to two main reasons. On the one hand, some voters who supported leave reduced their anti-immigrant attitudes because they felt a greater sense of control after the referendum. On the other hand, many people sought to distance themselves from widespread accusations of xenophobia and racism, and consequently became less anti-immigrant in the process. This mechanism was significant across both Leave and Remain supporters. The project, published in the British Journal of Political Science, was led by Dr Cassilde Schwartz from the Department of Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, Professor David Hudson from the University of Birmingham, Dr Miranda Simon, from the Department of Government at University of Essex, and Jennifer van-Heerde Hudson at University College London.