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| 'Benefit tourists' should be made to wait, Britons say | 'Benefit tourists' should be made to wait, Britons say |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A majority of Britons believe EU immigrants should have to wait at least three years before being able to claim benefits, a survey has suggested. | A majority of Britons believe EU immigrants should have to wait at least three years before being able to claim benefits, a survey has suggested. |
| The annual British Social Attitudes survey of 3,000 people found that 61% wanted rules toughened in this way to deter so-called benefit tourism. | The annual British Social Attitudes survey of 3,000 people found that 61% wanted rules toughened in this way to deter so-called benefit tourism. |
| Almost a quarter said the main reason immigrants came to the UK was benefits. | Almost a quarter said the main reason immigrants came to the UK was benefits. |
| The report also found 95% thought people must speak English to be "truly British", up from 86% in 2003. | The report also found 95% thought people must speak English to be "truly British", up from 86% in 2003. |
| NatCen Social Research has been running the report for 31 years. Its survey assesses changing social attitudes in Britain. | NatCen Social Research has been running the report for 31 years. Its survey assesses changing social attitudes in Britain. |
| The report's authors say a "key finding" of their latest work is that "the threshold to being considered British has got higher over time". | |
| Same rights? | Same rights? |
| The proportion of people who say a person must have lived in Britain for most of their life to be considered British is now 77%, up from 69% in 2003. | |
| The report found a falling proportion of people - 27%, down from 40% in 2003 - believed legal immigrants who were not British citizens should have the same rights as British citizens. | |
| Some 74% said it was important to have been born in Britain to be considered British. | |
| The report's authors said the British view that current immigration was too high was "well established and stable". | The report's authors said the British view that current immigration was too high was "well established and stable". |
| In the survey, 77% of people wanted immigration reduced a lot or a little - a figure that is sharply up on 1995 but "largely unchanged since 2008". | In the survey, 77% of people wanted immigration reduced a lot or a little - a figure that is sharply up on 1995 but "largely unchanged since 2008". |
| The proportion of people who believe immigrants increase crime rates in Britain went up from 37% in 2003 to 43% in 2013. | |
| London divide | |
| The authors said the survey also echoed the divide on attitudes to immigration between London and the rest of Britain reflected in the performance of the anti-EU party, UKIP, in recent elections. | |
| The survey suggested 54% of Londoners thought immigration was good for the economy, but this figure dropped to 28% outside the capital. | |
| Referring to the 61% who thought EU immigrants should have to wait at least three years before being able to claim benefits, the report's authors said this contrasted with rules that came into force this year requiring EU migrants to show they are earning at least £149 a week for three months before being able to access a range of benefits. | |
| This, the report said, demonstrated a "considerable gap between public opinion and reality". | |
| Other findings include: | |
| Trojan Horse | |
| Penny Young, chief executive of NatCen Social Research, said the survey had found many people wanted "tougher rules on benefits". | Penny Young, chief executive of NatCen Social Research, said the survey had found many people wanted "tougher rules on benefits". |
| "In an increasingly diverse, multi-cultural country, we might expect people to be more relaxed about what it means to be British, yet the trend is going in the opposite direction," she said. | "In an increasingly diverse, multi-cultural country, we might expect people to be more relaxed about what it means to be British, yet the trend is going in the opposite direction," she said. |
| "It is now harder to be considered British than in the past and one message comes through loud and clear; if you want to be British, you must speak English." | "It is now harder to be considered British than in the past and one message comes through loud and clear; if you want to be British, you must speak English." |
| Rules on immigrants claiming benefits vary depending on which benefit they want to claim. | Rules on immigrants claiming benefits vary depending on which benefit they want to claim. |
| The government has been imposing new restrictions in recent months, including one which came into force in January under which migrant jobseekers must be in the UK for three months before they can claim Jobseeker's Allowance. | The government has been imposing new restrictions in recent months, including one which came into force in January under which migrant jobseekers must be in the UK for three months before they can claim Jobseeker's Allowance. |
| The survey interviews were carried out from June to November 2013 - before the so-called Trojan Horse attempt by Islamists to take control of schools in Birmingham became public knowledge. | The survey interviews were carried out from June to November 2013 - before the so-called Trojan Horse attempt by Islamists to take control of schools in Birmingham became public knowledge. |
| Education Secretary Michael Gove responded to the Trojan Horse issue by saying schools should promote "British values". | Education Secretary Michael Gove responded to the Trojan Horse issue by saying schools should promote "British values". |