Polling by YouGov shows that in March, three-quarters of people supported resettling Ukrainians in the UK and 42 per cent believed the number should be in the tens of thousands “at least”. But the figures have now fallen to 71 per cent of people supporting resettlement, with 29 per cent wanting to see tens of thousands of refugees taken in. There is no resettlement scheme for Ukrainian refugees, with the government offering three-year visas that do not equate to asylum to people who have relatives in the UK or are sponsored by volunteers. So far, 175,100 applications have been submitted to the scheme, 148,300 of which have been approved and 91,000 Ukrainian visa holders have arrived in the UK. Ministers set up a tailored resettlement process in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover last year, but a YouGov poll shows only half the public support it. The scheme, which started in January, applied to some of the 15,000 people already in the UK after being evacuated from Afghanistan. Although the figures have been reduced, the survey shows that Britons are more supportive of Ukrainian refugees than those from other nations. (YouGov) YouGov said its research suggests “the British public feel less generous and more morally confused about refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia, compared to Ukraine, with Conservative voters particularly likely to hold more harsh attitude towards refugees from these countries”. When asked the same question for each nationality, 71 percent of people said they would support the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees, half said they would support the resettlement of Afghan refugees, 48 percent said they would support the resettlement of Syrians, and 40 percent one hundred would support the same for Somali refugees. The evidence is particularly stark for Conservative voters. While almost three-quarters welcomed Ukrainian refugees, only 37 percent said the same about Afghans, less than a third about Syrians and a fifth about Somalis. Tory supporters were also more likely to see Afghan, Syrian and Somali refugees as a “threat” than Labor supporters or the wider public, although just 5 per cent thought the same of Ukrainians. Conservatives were also less likely to believe that the UK has a “moral obligation” to offer asylum. Millions have fled Ukraine as Putin’s war rages (EPA) The Reset Communities and Refugees charity said it was still receiving a “high level of interest” from people offering to host Ukrainians in their homes. But chief executive Kate Brown added: “We know that interest levels change with the news agenda and cost of living pressures, and that compassion fatigue can also set in. “Even so, we continue to see high levels of interest from people to host Ukrainians in their homes, having trained more than 3,000 sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine matching service. “At the same time, we had a record number of applications from voluntary community grants raised to host refugees from a range of countries.” Refugees wait in a crowd for transport after fleeing Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland in March (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: “The only thing that should matter in our refugee protection policy is an individual’s need for protection. There is no wrong type of refugee. “We believe the public has tremendous compassion for those seeking safety. However, it is the government that has tried to fuel divisions by pitting one group of refugees against another, creating special resettlement programs for some while creating an ugly deportation plan to Rwanda for others. “What we need is a refugee protection system based on compassion for all those who need it.” YouGov conducted its poll between May 19 and 25 and weighted the results.
