Europeans view immigration with increasing suspicion. Seven out of 10 Europeans believe that their country takes in too many migrants, according to a survey carried out by BVA Xsight for ARTE Europe Weekly, a project led by the French-German TV channel ARTE GEIE and which EL PAÍS has participated in, as part of the countdown to the European elections in June.
The survey shows that 85% of respondents feel the European Union needs to take more action to combat irregular migration. And only 39% believe that Europe needs immigration today.
The countries where most people consider immigration a problem are Bulgaria (74% of respondents), the Czech Republic (73%), Hungary and Cyprus (68% in both cases). Paradoxically, in Italy, the European country where the largest number of immigrants entered irregularly last year (157,652), only 44% of respondents viewed it as a problem and only 14% saw it as the main problem. In Greece and Spain, the second and third countries with the most irregular arrivals in 2023, respectively, only 11% of respondents considered it the issue of most concern to them, below the European average of 17%. However, Greece is the country where the most people (90%) believe their country takes in too many migrants.
The EU has been hosting many immigrants for decades, and many have become citizens.
Surprisingly though,it seems that many EU citizens with a migration background, ( for example 1st and 2nd generation etc) in the EU vote against new immigrants. They usually perceive it as a threat against their economic/housing/children’s stability & future.
… Or because they see the things they ran away from following them. But of course this is not compatible with the myth that immigration is unconditionally good, so its better to pretend those immigrants are just trying to close the door behind them (have people who say this shit ever spoken to actual immigrants BTW?)
Ah, yes, truly the sign that they’ve integrated into society.