LA EDAD MEDIA EUROPEA

Participants were much more likely to give examples from sources other than the media to illustrate points they made on the impact of EU immigration, or immigration in general. Many, but not all of these, are presented in Table 2. These were largely stories relayed to them by a third party rather than directly experienced. The stories vary in their evidential strength, and the extent to which they were accepted. However, as the figure below shows, while some group members did express surprise in relation to some cases the stories were largely treated as credible.

Table 2. Personal and third-party immigration narratives

Example Response

Fairness and the principle of paying in before you take out

A participant accompanying her elderly parent for a hospital eye appointment spoke to an Italian woman who told how her mother had moved to the UK to claim a pension, for which she was not eligible in her home country (Group 8).

Other participants questioned when that had happened and one participant suggested it may have resulted from a reciprocal arrangement.

A participant waiting to see a midwife found herself with three other women, none of whom could speak English (Group 4).

Agreement from another participant that ‘you are the odd one out in your own country’.

A participant had a Latvian friend who was given social housing on two separate occasions because she had a large family. The participant herself had to wait more than four years for Housing Association accommodation (Group 2).

Agreement from respondents followed up by the next example in the table.

A local supermarket was believed to have bought housing near its site for migrant workers (Group 2).

Agreement that the local area had not seen these changes until relatively recently.

A participant who was in need of housing after a divorce believed that that the local authority retain housing for refugees (Group 9).

Others gave examples of where they, or relatives, had to wait for housing or for their benefits to be reassessed following a change in circumstances. A participant and her family of six was made

homeless but a newly arrived migrant family were given priority for housing (Group 1).

No follow-up discussion since it was an introductory statement.

Integration and social norms

On a recent bus journey a participant found all the other passengers speaking a language other than English (Group 8).

Led to further example from another participant below.

The work environment at a local supermarket is ‘tribal’ and ‘horrible’ but no source was given for this assertion (Group 8).

Another participant followed up with a report heard on radio and television of fights between immigrants and residents outside school gates (see next item).

Immigrants and residents have been fighting outside school gates in another part of the UK

Led to wider discussion about decline of respect with disagreement on the role of immigration in

(Group 8). the link between immigration and crime, and the example below.

A participants’ son was chased across town by a gang of Ukrainian men armed with knives (Group 8).

Led to a wider discussion about migrant crime gangs which the police have not controlled.

The UK does not have control of its borders and illegal immigration

A participant claimed a woman driving from a south coast port to Eastbourne found a migrant stowed in the boot of her car (Group 10).

Dialogue about under-cutting of wages and capacity of UK to accommodate further immigration.

Migrants have been seen coming out of lorries on the A20 from the channel ports (Group 7).

Other participants questioned whether this was a direct experience, but another participant

confirmed its validity, arguing ‘You see the lorries pull over and they just pile on’.

Legitimate vs illegitimate immigration

A friend of a participant’s daughter dated a refugee who claimed to be 16 and was given access to education, but was thought to be older on the basis of his facial hair (Group 7).

Some sympathy was expressed for refugees but also concern about crime and that some refugees are economic migrants rather than fleeing persecution or war.

A friend’s brother works for the UK Border Agency in Greece and reported that while many are escaping from tyranny, others are economic migrants (Group 9).

Disagreement from a participant who believed that people who seek asylum must be desperate, but agreement from others that some claims are not genuine.

Labour market impacts

A participant had worked in a distribution centre where there were only 20 English employees in a workforce of 2,500 (Group 7).

Some agreement that the availability of migrant labour must reduce wages at the lower end.

As the table shows, many accounts related to the theme of deservedness and paying into the system before you take out in accessing benefits. Most of the examples concerned access to housing or to health services and included an assumption that a British citizen should have priority to such services over migrants. Three of the examples concerning integration and social norms involved violence or unacceptable behaviour on the part of migrants. This was a theme which was raised quite often in the focus groups, especially in relation to irregular migration. Also in line with views expressed throughout the interviews, participants gave examples of ways in which control over entry was not exercised at the border. Other examples were given of migration which was seen to be illegitimate, focused on the validity of refugee status. While the workplace was mentioned in a few examples, very few specific examples were given of threats to the wages of British workers, although much was said about migrants being prepared to do jobs which British people do not find attractive.

It is also worthy of note that, with the exception of the examples of deservedness, most examples were of second hand evidence rather than direct experience. As indicated in the figure, other participants questioned the validity of some examples and were more reassured when the speaker said they had witnessed the example for themselves. Of course, it is possible that they did not believe the examples were true but chose not to challenge the speaker.