World becoming less tolerant of migrants: Survey
This comes as Europe unveils new asylum plan in wake of fire at Greek migrant camp
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A family of migrants fleeing the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Sept 9 after a fire broke out. European Union countries have long been at loggerheads over how to handle the influx of migrants.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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LONDON • The world is becoming less tolerant of migrants, according to a poll released yesterday, as Europe unveiled a new asylum plan in the wake of a fire at an overcrowded camp in Greece that left thousands without shelter.
Seven European countries - led by North Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia - topped the Gallup index of the world's least-accepting countries. But the sharpest changes in attitudes were in the Latin American countries of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, which have seen an influx of Venezuelans fleeing turmoil at home.
Canada was the most welcoming country towards migrants, followed by Iceland and New Zealand, according to the index based on more than 140,000 interviews in 145 countries and regions.
The survey asked people their views about having migrants living in their country, becoming their neighbours and marrying into their families.
Index scores ranged from 1.49 in North Macedonia to 8.46 in Canada, just below the maximum possible score of 9.
Gallup migration expert Julie Ray said the slight global fall in acceptance - 5.21 last year, down from 5.34 in 2016 - was driven by marked changes in Latin American countries.
Peru's score tumbled to 3.61 from 6.33 in 2016, while the number of Colombians who said migrants living in their country was a good thing dropped to 29 per cent from 61 per cent.
The first Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index was conducted amid a backlash following the 2015 migrant crisis in Europe, when more than a million people headed to the continent fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond.
European Union countries have long been at loggerheads over how to handle the influx of migrants, many of whom arrive in Mediterranean countries after perilous journeys by sea.
The bloc's executive unveiled a plan yesterday which legally obliges all members to host their share of refugees - something rejected by Poland and Hungary, among others.
The proposal was brought forward because of the fire on the Greek island of Lesbos two weeks ago, which destroyed a migrant camp holding more than 12,000 people - four times the number it was supposed to.
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TOP 5 COUNTRIES LEAST TOLERANT OF MIGRANTS
North Macedonia
Hungary
Serbia
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
TOP 5 COUNTRIES MOST TOLERANT OF MIGRANTS
Canada
Iceland
New Zealand
Australia
Sierra Leone
Among European countries, only Sweden and Ireland made the Gallup top 10 of most-accepting countries.
Ms Ray said some people would be surprised by the positive attitudes in the United States, where President Donald Trump has made curbing immigration a cornerstone of his policy.
"Despite the fact that immigration is such a hot topic in the US, Americans are mostly very accepting of migrants," she said.
The US ranked sixth in the index, just behind Sierra Leone.
Ms Ray said Mr Trump's supporters were far more accepting of migrants than the global average, scoring 7.10.
Worldwide, the index showed acceptance of migrants was greater among younger generations, people with higher levels of education and those living in urban rather than rural areas.
REUTERS
