The Impact of Migration on Social Cohesion and Integration

Our analysis indicates that it is principally socio-economic deprivation—not migration—that best explains peoples’ perceptions of their local area. However, existing diversity may partly explain differences in levels of cohesion. In other words, new migration does not notably affect cohesion but pre-existing diversity and high levels of poverty are predictors of lower social cohesion.Our analysis also indicates that on soft measures of integration such as trust in political institutions and a sense of belonging to Britain—migrants actually score more highly than native-born, native heritage Britons. Migrants to Britain have a high opinion of British political institutions and rapidly come to feelthat they belong in the country. We looked also at values, and found consensus between migrants and natives on most measures. The exceptions were on measures where migrants may have special concerns – the value of distinct cultural traditions, the importance of ensuring equal opportunities for all groups and the negative effects of offensive speech.