Immigration is now the most important issue facing Britain, with 51 percent naming it ahead of the economy as the top concern, according to YouGov’s latest tracker.
Separate YouGov tracking shows deep public dissatisfaction with how the government is handling the issue, with 78 percent saying it is doing badly and only 13 percent saying it is doing well.
That anger represents something of a paradox within the U.K. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that long-term immigration fell to 898,000 for the year ending June 2025, down from 1.3 million a year earlier, while net migration dropped to 204,000, roughly two-thirds lower than the revised 649,000 recorded in the previous year.
YouGov most important issues tracker, 7-9 March 2026
Immigration: 51% (+2 from 28 Feb-2 Mar)
Economy: 50% (=)
Defence: 35% (+10)
Health: 29% (-3)
Tax: 18% (+1)
Crime: 18% (-1)
Housing: 15% (-3)
Environment: 14% (-2)
Welfare: 13% (-2)
Europe: 12% (-1) pic.twitter.com/w9pHlKoadC
— YouGov (@YouGov) March 10, 2026That frustration comes despite official figures suggesting migration has fallen sharply from recent peaks. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows long-term immigration to the U.K. fell to 898,000 in the year ending June 2025, down from roughly 1.3 million the previous year. Net migration dropped to 204,000 over the same period, down from a revised 649,000 the year before. A slight rise in emigration has also contributed to this.
But the fall has failed to shift public sentiment. Illegal immigration remains a pressing issue as Home Office figures show that 1,200 migrants arrived in small boats during the week from March 3 to March 9 alone. Daily figures released by the department show crossings on every day during that period, including 309 migrants arriving in four boats on Monday.
However, mass legal immigration from successive governments over the past decade has made the greatest impact. Roughly 3.3 million people arrived in Britain between 2021 and 2023, many entering on non-work visas such as study routes. In the most recent year alone, 809,000 long-term visas were granted, equivalent to a population roughly the size of Leeds arriving in a single year. Last week, the Centre for Migration Control showed how tens of thousands of migrants regularly fail to leave the country at the end of their visa, including nearly 1 in 10 Pakistan and Philippines nationals.
This week, data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) cited by The Sun revealed that 179,482 people with indefinite leave to remain in Britain were claiming Universal Credit as of December 2024. Estimates by the Migration Observatory suggest around 720,500 non-EU citizens had settlement status by the end of that year, meaning roughly a quarter of those with indefinite leave to remain were receiving the welfare benefit.
Home Office projections suggest that a further 1.6 million migrants could obtain settled status between 2026 and 2030. By the end of the decade, that group could cost close to £5.5 billion annually in welfare payments.
📊 Ref lead of 8pts
Westminster voting intention
REF: 29% (-2)
LAB: 21% (+2)
CON: 18% (-2)
GRN: 12% (-)
LDEM: 10% (-2)
via @Survation, 05 Mar
Chgs. w/ 29 Janhttps://t.co/QzghnN5ONi
— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) March 8, 2026The immigration issue is now impacting voting intention. In the latest national polling published this week, Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK leads with between 27 and 29 percent of the vote, followed by Labour on 20-21 percent. Most polling does not prompt for the latest right-wing party, Restore Britain, led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe. In a separate Find Out Now survey that included Restore Britain, it registered around 7 percent support.
