More than eight people out of ten in the UK said they think that EU migrants already living in Britain should be allowed to stay in the country.
The figure comes from a public opinion survey conducted for the think tank British Future which revealed that the 84% who believe resident EU citizens should stay includes a very high proportion of people who supported the Leave campaign (77%).
The organisation claims the results of the poll indicate that the majority of people in Britain are in what it terms the “anxious middle” – those who are concerned about the pressure migration brings while also recognising what migrants contribute to the economy.
It says the poll suggests that the majority of people accept certain types of immigrants but would prefer to curtail others, such as unskilled workers - 62% said their number should be reduced.
Regarding highly skilled workers, 46% said they would accept an increase while 42% said the level should stay the same and just 12% said the number should be cut.
Among the skilled workers, people were questioned about care workers, engineers, IT professionals, doctors, nurses and scientists. For each category the majority said the numbers should either stay the same or be increased.
Three-quarters of those surveyed thought that immigration should be controlled through a sensible policy which allows that migration deemed good for the economy while still offering sanctuary to refugees in need of protection.
Nevertheless, 53% said the number of refugees accepted into the UK should be lowered, while 33% said there should be no change in numbers.
Just 14% said more refugees should be given protection in Britain.
The survey also confirmed that Leave voters are in favour of some migration of professional people – 45% said they would like an increased number and 40% said the number should remain as is.
British Future said it hopes for a public debate on immigration to create a new consensus on the matter and to rebuild public trust in the immigration system.
It believes there is a “moderate core” of public opinion on immigration, more nuanced than that displayed often in public discourse.
