Europeans demand better control of flows

2023-09-20 18:00:25

A large majority of Europeans believe that “immigration is too important in their country” : this is what 74% of Germans, 73% of Italians, 71% of French or 66% of Belgians surveyed think. Paradoxically, they say rather “favorable to legal immigration of non-Europeans”. The countries most open to this contribution are those of Southern Europe: Spain (78% favorable or somewhat favorable), Italy (76%), Romania (70%), Greece (56%) . In Germany, opinion is divided: 48% are in favor against 47% opposed or completely opposed.

Two countries stand out by being predominantly opposed to legal immigration: Hungary (51% opposed or somewhat opposed) and France (50%). France is also the only country where the majority of respondents believe that immigration has a negative economic impact (53%). Only 34% of Spaniards, 44% of Italians or 45% of Germans share this opinion.

These are some of the lessons from a survey carried out at the end of August, in ten countries, by the Viavoice institute, for the Confrontations Europe think tank (created by Philippe Herzog and Michel Rocard), and which we are revealing exclusively.

Rejection speeches have gained ground

All of the responses reveal above all that the discourse on immigration has been captured, in recent years, by parties calling for a rejection of migrants. “In France, this negative perception of immigration has long been confined to the far right. However, we see that it has progressed in public opinion over the last twenty years”notes Thomas Genty, of the Viavoice Institute.

This vision is fueled by a lack of understanding of the reality of flows: the Europeans surveyed all tend to overestimate the number of migrants welcomed in Europe, and to consider that their own country is among those which receive the most: 61% of Swedes thus think that their country welcomes more immigrants than others; 23% of French people surveyed think that the EU welcomes “around 5 million legal immigrants per year”14% that it welcomes “around 10 million”. The true figure is four times lower.

“European countries issue three million regular residence permits every year. Europe knows how to welcome within the rules and make this contribution of labor an element of its wealth. But these successes are hidden because the cameras are all focused on the same place, on the ships which disembark a few thousand people on Italian beaches.regrets Michel Derdevet, president of Confrontations Europe.

Strong demand to strengthen border control

Despite this negative representation of migrants seen as poor people and difficult to integrate (which is far from the reality for the majority of them), this survey shows that their contribution can also be perceived as an asset: 51% of French people surveyed, 50% of Italians and 44% of Poles believe that immigration constitutes “a supply of labor for unskilled professions” ; 43% of Italians and 47% of Spaniards surveyed say that immigration can “contribute to demographic growth in aging countries” (these two countries being particularly concerned by the fall in the fertility rate).

Furthermore, the people interviewed do not express a rejection of the multicultural character of European society. A large majority, 53% of French people, 56% of Swedes, 62% of Italians, believe that it is “an asset that poses difficulties”rather than“a weakness” or “an asset”. The fear of a loss of European identity is only mentioned by 14% of those questioned, far behind the fear of delinquency (mentioned by 28%) or their “lack of desire for integration” (25 %).

In conclusion, Europeans are calling for greater control of migrant flows. A large number of people questioned want, first of all, better border control, far ahead of improved reception assistance or the distribution of migrants by quotas between European countries.

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