It’s easy to assume that public attitudes in the UK towards refugees hit a turning point when Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and many thousands began seeking asylum with families here. But more positive perceptions of employees had already been gradually rising before this year, according to Trinh Tu, managing director of public affairs at polling company Ipsos.
“Even before the crisis in Ukraine we did a study and found that 75% of the public support the principle of allowing people to take refuge, and that has now increased to 80%,” she says. “But attitudes are definitely warmer since the pandemic.”
