Young people's attitudes to immigration: findings from the Young People in Scotland Survey 2017

6. Perceived impact of immigration on Scotland's economy

Respondents were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed that people from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy.

Half of the young people who participated in the survey agreed with the statement that people who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy. A further 22% neither agreed nor disagreed and 12% disagreed with that statement (Figure 6.1).

Figure 6.1: 'People from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy' (N=1,781)

Source: Young People in Scotland Survey 2017, Ipsos MORI.

Variations in attitudes between sub-groups

Year group

Young people in the oldest year group (S6) were most likely to agree that immigrants make a valuable contribution to Scotland's economy: 69% of those in S6 agreed with the statement.

Analysis based on year group also shows that the younger the respondents were, the more likely they were to give a 'don't know' response to the statement (Figure 6.2).

Figure 6.2: 'People from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy,' by year group (N=1,755)

Source: Young People in Scotland Survey 2017, Ipsos MORI.

Gender

Girls were less likely than boys to disagree with the statement that people from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy, and more likely than boys to say that they 'didn't know' (Figure 6.3).

Figure 6.3: 'People from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy,' by gender (N=1,715)

Source: Young People in Scotland Survey 2017, Ipsos MORI.

Socioeconomic background

Analysis by socioeconomic group shows that young people in the least deprived groups ( SIMD 4 and SIMD 5) were more likely than those in SIMD 2 to agree that people from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy.

People in the most deprived group ( SIMD 1) were more likely than other groups to give a 'don't know' response to the statement (Figure 6.4).

Figure 6.4: 'People from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy,' by SIMD (N= 1,781)

Source: Young People in Scotland Survey 2017, Ipsos MORI.

Ethnicity

Analysis by ethnicity indicates that respondents in BME groups (60%) were more likely than White people (50%) to agree with the statement that immigrants make a valuable contribution to the Scottish economy. Six in ten of those in BME groups agreed with the statement, compared to half of White people. White people (23%) were more likely than those in BME groups (14%) to neither agree nor disagree with the statement (Figure 6.5).

Figure 6.5: 'People from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy,' by ethnicity (N=1,672)

Source: Young People in Scotland Survey 2017, Ipsos MORI.

Religious affiliation

Young people who said they had no religion were more likely than non-Christians to neither agree nor disagree with the statement that immigrants make a valuable contribution of immigrants to the Scottish economy. Almost a quarter of respondents who had no religion took this view, compared with 14% of those with non-Christian religious beliefs (Figure 6.6).

Figure 6.6: 'People from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy,' by religious affiliation (N=1,540)

Source: Young People in Scotland Survey 2017, Ipsos MORI.

Physical/mental health condition

Young people who said they had a physical or mental health condition were more likely than those who did not to disagree with the statement that people from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy. 19% of those with a health condition disagreed with the statement, compared with 12% of those with no health condition (Figure 6.7).

Figure 6.7: 'People from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make a valuable contribution to the economy , ' by physical/mental health condition (N=1,412)

Source: Young People in Scotland Survey 2017, Ipsos MORI.