Immigration Is a Top Concern for the Public — Despite What Sky News Say

Sky News reported claims that concern about immigration is a “manufactured panic.” But the YouGov poll they cite shows the opposite — immigration and asylum top Britain’s list of national concerns.

Oct 31, 2025

Sky News ran with a headline today claiming immigration is “not near the top of most people’s concerns” — and described public anxiety as a “manufactured panic.”

But the YouGov survey behind that story tells a very different tale.
Even by Sky’s own reporting, immigration and asylum were named by a majority of Britons (52%) as one of the top issues facing the country, higher than cost of living, the economy, or health.

So how did Sky turn that into a story about public indifference?

📊 What the Poll Actually Shows

The YouGov/Best for Britain survey, conducted between 5 and 10 September with over 4,000 adults, found that 52% of people said immigration and asylum were among the most important issues facing the UK nationally. That made it the top national concern, ahead of cost of living at 50%, the economy at 35%, and health at 25%.

When people were asked about their own communities, 26% still listed immigration and asylum as one of their top local issues. That put it second, behind only the cost of living at 59%.

Sky’s headline was built around that local number — 26% — while glossing over the national picture showing immigration as the country’s number-one concern.

🚨 What People Actually Mean

When people say immigration is a major issue, they’re not talking in abstract terms.
Among those who identified immigration and asylum as a key concern:

86% said illegal immigration is too high
53% were worried about asylum seekers being kept in hotels
37% said legal immigration is too high
31% said asylum processes are too slow
28% pointed to a lack of integration

This isn’t “panic”. It’s frustration — a reflection of significant small-boat Channel crossings, the asylum costs taking away from other services, and the visible strain on housing and public services.

📈 Consistently a Top Public Concern

Sky’s headline also ignores the longer-term data. YouGov’s own weekly “Most Important Issues” tracker, shown below, reveals that immigration and asylum have been among the top two concerns for most of 2025 — often ahead of the economy.

In fact, immigration and asylum have topped the list for several months this year, only narrowly overtaken by the economy in the latest week. That’s hardly a “manufactured panic” — it’s a stable trend in public opinion.

🧩 Who Commissioned It — and Why That Matters

The poll was commissioned by Best for Britain, a pro-EU, pro-immigration campaign group. That context is essential. Even with wording from a group that generally downplays immigration concerns, the issue still came out top nationally and second locally.

That alone undermines the idea that this is a “manufactured” topic.

🗣️ The Real Story

Yes — Sky mentions the 52% national figure in the middle of the article. But journalism is about framing as much as facts. And by leading with “not near the top” and “manufactured panic”, the piece inverts the story’s central finding.

The truth is simple:

Most Britons think immigration is one of the biggest issues facing the country — and they’re especially worried about illegal immigration.

That’s not hysteria. It’s realism.

Why This Matters

When public debate is reduced to selective headlines, trust erodes — both in the media and in government. If data consistently shows immigration top of the public’s list, dismissing it as “manufactured” says more about journalists’ worldview than about voters’ priorities.

✍️ Jamie Jenkins (hit subscribe - it’s free)

📚 If you found this useful, you might also want to read:
👉 The £15 Billion Asylum Scandal: The More Boats That Arrive, the More the Contractors Earn — A decade-long deal that turned a small-boat crisis into big business — billions in spending, record arrivals, and hundreds of millions in profit for the same three firms.

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