Research - Polish City Club

Electoral sentiments among immigrants in UK
with a particular focus on Poles #PolesinUK
Prepared for:
April 2014
© 2012 Ipsos. All rights reserved. Contains Ipsos' Confidential and Proprietary information and
may not be disclosed or reproduced without the prior written consent of Ipsos.
1
Research goals and
methodology
2
Research goals and methodology
Research goals
• The analysis of a complete spectrum of immigrant voters (from the A8 group, especially
Poles)
• Gaining an understanding of the attitudes, perspectives and electoral sentiments of
immigrants, with particular emphasis on barriers to electoral participation.
• Constructing an image of immigrants’ views on electoral participation
• Gaining insight for a successful social communication campaign
• Exploring the motivations behind immigrants’ electoral sentiments and the reasons for
their low political participation
Research methodology
• Questionnaire – 10 minute, generic CAWI questionnaire (in Polish and English)
• Respondent recruitment and survey invitations executed by Polish City Club
Research timing:
• Data collection start: March 7th, end: March 17th, 2014
3
Main findings and
recommendations
4
Main findings
Poles in the UK
-
are rapidly integrating with the British society and aspiring to play important role in the
public and political life of the United Kingdom;
-
permanent character of their stay in the United Kingdom and relatively young age make
Poles living here important contributors to the budget in light of the general trend of
ageing population in the UK;
-
they are ready to change their pattern of behaviours and sometimes occupations to fit
better to the United Kingdom, also learning the language quickly;
-
however
-
they find it difficult to understand British politics and therefore feeling a bit hesitant to
vote in elections;
-
ready for further social and political integration, but lack of time, face cultural
difficulties (different character of social engagement than in Poland) and
communication barriers;
-
More conclusions to follow after the presentation
5
Results
6
Information about the
respondents
7
Sex and age
M1.Gender
M2. Please give your year of birth.
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
Sex
Age
The majority of respondents were female and/or between the ages of 30 and 44, but there is also a
significant group of young Poles between 18-29. Almost 90% of migrants therefore are of age that
make them active workers.
8
Education
M3. What is your level of education? Please give the highest level of education you
have completed.
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
56
40
1
Higher
Secondary Primary
1
2
None
Refusal
Most respondents have higher education, very few interviewed had a lower-than-secondary level of
education completed.
9
Marital status and children
M4. What is your marital status?
M5. Do you have children?
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
Marital status
Married
Single
Live with partner
Divorced
Widowed
Separated
Refused to answer
Have children
Majority of respondents are either married, or living with a partner.
Slightly less than half has children.
10
Character of residency in UK
M8. What is the nature of your stay in UK?
Base:
all/respondents
whose stay is not
permanent
Values as %
n=552
temporary
I don't
know
17
11
Permanent
72
Most of those interviewed plan to stay in the UK permanently.
11
Place of residence in the UK
M6. Please state your current place of residence in the UK
Base: all
Values as %
89
England
40
London
South East England
9
South West England
9
7
North West England
East Midlands
6
East of England
6
5
West Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber
North East England
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
Poles
North
East
England
North
West
England
West
Midlands
4
East
Midlands
3
7
Scotland
Wales
2
Northern Ireland
2
Yorkshire and
the Humber
Wales
East
England
London
South West
England
South East England
12
Length of residence in UK
M7. Since when have you lived in the UK?
Base: all
Values as %
25
1-3 years
20
4 -6 years
39
7-9 years
15
10 and over years
Refusal
mean: 6.7 years
1
Average length of residency in UK is 6.7 years, which suggests that majority arrived post EU enlargement
13
Citizenship
M10. What is your citizenship? Please choose all the citizenships that apply to you.
Base: all
Values as %
100
Polish
British
9
M11. And do you intend to apply for UK citizenship?
n=505
9% of Poles living in the UK declare a dual citizenships. Around 4 out of 10 respondents, who do not
yet have a British citizenship, intend to apply for one.
14
Occupational status
M12. Are you currently:
Base: all
Values as %
60
Employed in a full-time job
11
Self-employed
Employed in a part-time job
9
Staying home with children
8
Studying in school or university
7
Unemployed
Refused to answer
3
2
Poles n= 552
Other respondents n=33
A vast majority of respondents – 80% - is either employed full-time, self-employed or working parttime.
15
Knowledge of English
M14. Please rate your knowledge of the English language.
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
Vast majority of the interviewed Poles rate their English language skills good or very good.
17
Interest in political
topics
18
Interest in selected topics
Q4. To begin with, we’d like to find out whether you are interested in any of the below
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
Political news
Economic news
Cultural news
Sports news
Social news
I'm not interested
It is worth-noting that Poles seem to follow the news concerning the UK to a very similar degree as
they follow news about Poland. There is no gap between the two, indicating that there is a
comparable level of interest in what is happening in both countries.
19
Interest in the political life of Great Britain
Q5. And do you follow political life in UK?
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
21
36
28
12 3
Yes, I follow it closely
Yes, but only if it relates to matters important to me
Rather yes, I check it occasionally
Rather not, in general I’m not interested in it
Definitely not, it doesn’t interest me at all
The majority of queried Poles residing in UK take an interest in political life there at least when it
concerns matters important to them. Only about 15% of respondents follow such news very rarely
or never. Greater interest in political life was usually claimed by older respondents and those with a
higher education.
20
Sources of news
Base: Persons
interested in
political, economic,
cultural, sports or
social topics
Values as %
Q6. Where do you mainly obtain news concerning mentioned topics? Please choose
the most important sources from the following list.
n=536
Internet – news portals
Television
Internet – social networking portals:
e.g. Facebook, Twitter
Newspapers, daily press
Other people
Radio
Weeklies or monthlies
Leaflets, posters/ promotional materials
School
Church
Other source
The vast majority of respondents get news on political, social, cultural life from Internet news
portals, mainly due to its international character – they are more accessible and covering wider
range of topics than traditional media. This also explain high popularity of social networking
services: Facebook and Twitter.
21
Types of news sources
Q7-Q10 Is this periodical/television/radio/internet portals…
Base: Respondents
obtaining news
from
Press/TV/Radio/Int
ernet portals
Values as %
Press
N= 283
TV
N= 352
Radio
N= 208
Internet portals
N= 497
Among the respondents who use traditional media, a greater percentage rely on British newspapers
and stations than on the same media from Poland. Polish Internet portals are visited by 90% of
Poles in UK and remain the most popular source of news regarding Poland.
22
Top 15 news sources by name
Values as %
Q7A/Q8A/Q9A/Q10a. Please provide the:
titles of the newspapers and magazines you read /
names of the television channels you watch /
names of the radio stations you listen to /
names of these internet portals
Base: Respondents
interested in
Political/economic/
social/cultural or
sports news
n=568
Newspapers / magazines
Newspaper / magazine name
%
Television channels
Channel name
Radio stations
%
Station name
Internet portals
%
Portal name
%
Guardian
14%
BBC (NET)
43%
BBC (NET)
19%
BBC / BBC News
35%
Gazeta Wyborcza
11%
•
BBC 1
10%
•
BBC 1
8%
Onet.pl
32%
The Times
10%
•
BBC News
7%
•
BBC 2
4%
WP.pl
24%
Metro
10%
•
BBC 2
5%
•
BBC 4
3%
Gazeta.pl / Wyborcza.pl
18%
Polityka
9%
•
BBC 3
1%
•
BBC 6
1%
Facebook
13%
The Sun
8%
TVN
21%
•
BBC (others)
3%
Londynek
10%
Independent
7%
ITV
18%
RMF FM
6%
Interia.pl
10%
Financial Times
6%
Polsat
16%
Heart Radio
5%
The Guardian
8%
Newsweek
6%
TVN 24
11%
Radio Zet
4%
TVN24.pl
7%
Economist
5%
TVP 1
9%
Capital Radio
3%
Yahoo
6%
Daily Mail
5%
Channel4
8%
Polskie Radio PR 3
3%
Financial Times
3%
Cooltura
5%
TVP 2
6%
Kiss FM
2%
Polemi.co.uk
2%
Evening Standard
4%
Sky News
5%
LBC Radio
2%
Google
2%
Angora
3%
TVP (general)
5%
Polskie Radio Londyn
1%
O2.pl
2%
Wprost
3%
Channel 5
4%
Absolute Radio
1%
independent.co.uk
2%
Polsat news
3%
Polskie Radio PR 1
1%
23
Identity
24
Attachment to place 1/2
Q11. Different people feel more or less connected to different places, beginning with home city,
then the home country, and ending with all of Europe/ the world. Using a scale from 0 to 10, in
which 0 means that you do not feel any connection at all, and 10, that you feel strong connection,
please specify how strong your connection is to....
Base: all
Values as %
N=552
Mean: 6.6
City of residence
Mean: 6.4
Country of residence
(UK)
Mean: 6.7
Home country
(Poland)
Mean: 6.9
Hometown (Poland)
Mean: 6.5
Europe
Respondents declare the highest levels of attachment to their hometown and lowest – to their
country of residence. They are generally more attached to localities than to countries.
25
Feeling of identity
Q12. Do you consider yourself to be…?
Base: all
Values as %
N=552
European
Citizen of my country
of origin
Citizen of the world
Briton
Hard to say
Other
Surprisingly high rate of responses pointing at European identity as the most important one shows
that Poles are dominantly pro-European and will protect their newly re-acquired Europeanness.
26
Feeling of acceptance
Q13. To what degree do you feel accepted in UK?
Base: all
Values as %
N=552
Mean: 7.1
A greater feeling of acceptance is correlated with higher education, greater willingness to take part
in the life of the local community, an interest in political life in Great Britain and with greater
willingness to recommend emigration to Great Britain to their friends.
27
Likelihood of recommendation of the UK as a country to live in
Base: Employed
respondents
M15. How likely is it that you would recommend UK as a country to live in to another
person (friends, family members)?
Values as %
NPS*:
Promoters
(9-10)
Poles
n=552
25
Passives
(7-8)
Detractors
(0-6)
44
31
-6
* Net Promoter Score, calculated as the difference between percentages of Promoters (likelihood of
recommendation 9 or 10) and Detractors (likelihood of recommendation 6 or less)
28
Community
participation
29
Social activity in the country of origin and in UK
Base: all
Values as %
Q14. In what forms of social activity have you taken part in <insert country where respondent was born>
Q15. Could you imagine yourself being involved in similar activities in UK? If so, please mark which forms of social activity.
N=552
Choir, school, oasis
Scouting
Charitable activity
Working with
adolescents
NGO
Working in behalf of
animals
Working in behalf of
the disabled
Other
None of those
mentioned
The large majority of respondents are able to imagine getting involved in at least one organized
form of social activity in UK.
30
Understanding of social activity
Q16. What does “civic participation” mean to you? Is it…
Base: all
Values as %
N=552
Voting
Activity in clubs,
organizations
Watching/ listening to/
reading the news
Participating in
demonstrations
Donating to public service
organizations
Participation in the life of my
parish group
None of those mentioned
Other
The majority of respondents associate civic participation with voting; somewhat over half also
associate it with being active in clubs and organizations.
Those with a higher education, those engaged in a life of the local community and those interested
in British politics indicated a greater number of examples of civic participation than other
respondents.
31
Membership in organizations
Base: all
Values as %
Q17. Do you belong to or cooperate with any of the associations or organizations
mentioned below?
N=552
School/ university
Charitable association
Sports or recreational association
Trade unions
Business association
Cultural or artistic association
Social initiative group (for human
rights, the environment etc.)
Scientific/ scholarly association
Religious association
Political parties
Other associations or
organisations
None
About 60% of respondents cooperate with some type of association or social organization.
32
Community activity
Q19. Do you take part in the life of your local community?
Base: all
Values as %
N=552
Yes
No
There is a clear division on whether Poles do take part in a life of the local communities or
not. Those who are temporary residents in Britain are particularly unlikely to participate
locally. Respondents with a higher education are more likely to get involved with their local
community.
33
Motivators to get involved in community activity
Base: Persons who like to get
involved in community life
Values as %
Q20. What motivates you to take part in the life of your local community?
n=256
Contact with people
Opportunity to learn something
new
Opportunity to influence the people
around me
Satisfaction with the results
achieved
Opportunity to make professional
contacts, find a job
Opportunity to meet other
enthusiasts, community volunteers
Other
The main motivator to participate in the life of the local community is the opportunity to make
contact with people. The opportunity to learn something new was indicated more often by young
people with a secondary education.
34
Barriers to community involvement
Base: Persons who don't like
to get involved in community
life
Values as %
Q21. What discourages you from taking part in the life of your local community?
n=296
Lack of time
Personal/ professional reasons make
it impossible for me to get involved
Lack of knowledge about how I could
get involved
Lack of knowledge about existing
ways to get involved
Such involvement does not interest
me
Lack of trust in this country's society
The feeling that I have no influence
on anything
I don't know the language
Lack of appropriate organisational
infrastructure
Lack of knowledge of my rights
Other
The main barrier to participation in the local community is lack of time – this is the reason cited by over half of
the respondents. Lack of knowledge about the life of the local community were cited by 27% of respondents.
Only a sixth of them openly admitted that they are not interested in such participation.
35
Political participation
36
Understanding of electoral and political participation
Q22. What does electoral and political participation mean to you? Is it:
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
Voting
Watching/ listening to/ reading
the news
Participating in election campaigns
Helping in clubs, organizations
Participating in demonstrations/
rallies
Donating to political organizations
or parties
Other
None
The majority of respondents identify political and electoral participation solely with voting.
Poles staying in UK temporarily and those attached to their country of origin more than to UK less
often defined political participation as voting, and more often as following news on politics.
37
Barriers to political participation
Q23. What discourages you from taking part in political life?
Base: all
Values as %
N=73
the feeling that I don't have any influence on anything
lack of time
Such involvement doesn't interest me
Lack of knowledge about how I could get involved
Lack of knowledge of my rights
Personal/ professional reasons make it impossible for me
to get involved
Complicated rules and procedures
Lack of trust in the society of the country in which I life
Lack of knowledge of ways to get involved
I don't know the language
Lack of appropriate organisational infrastructure
Other
The leading barrier to political participation among the respondents is the perceived inability to
exert any influence on the social / political situation by participating in political life, closely
followed by a lack of time.
38
Political activity: voting
Q24. In the past, did you take part in:
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
63
39
30
16
local
13
European Parliament
in Poland
I didn't vote
In the UK
The large majority of respondents had voted in the past in parliamentary or local government
elections in their country of origin, but not in UK.
Older respondents and those with permanent residency vote the most frequently in UK.
39
Knowledge about elections in UK
Q25. Do you know when the next elections will be held in UK
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
The majority of respondents do not know when the next parliamentary or local government
elections will be held in UK. Only half of them know when the next elections to the European
Parliament are to take place.
40
Registration to vote
Q26. Are you registered to take part in elections to:
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
12
in Poland
49
in the UK
16
no, and I do
not plan to
59
Yes
23
European
Parliament
elections
no, but
I plan to
41
Local elections
In Great Britain
No
About half the respondents are already registered to vote for the European Parliament in UK, and
nearly 60% to vote in local elections.
41
Awareness of political parties in Great Britain
Base: all
Values as %
Q27. Have you heard of the parties operating in UK? Please mark the ones you have
heard of.
n=552
Conservative Party
Labour Party
Liberal Democrats
UKIP
Scottish National Party
Democratic Unionist Party
Other
None
The majority of respondents have heard of the Conservative Party, Labour Party and
Liberal Democrats. A sixth of the respondents, however, had never heard of any British
political party.
42
Knowledge of the platforms of political parties in UK
Q28. Do you understand the key points of the political parties operating in UK?
Base: all
Values as %
n=552
Somewhat over half of respondents definitely or rather have a grasp of the platforms of British
political parties.
43
Intent to vote and preferences
Q30. Elections to the European Parliament/local election will be held this May. Do you
expect to take part in them? If YES: What party do you intend to vote for?
Base: all / respondents who
intent to vote in the E.P.
elections
Values as %
European Parliament
Local elections
Intent to vote
Electoral preference
n= 552
20
Labour Party
16
12
Conservative Party
6
1
4
4
UKIP
5
50
17
Liberal Democrats
18
Scottish National Party
1
Democratic Unionist Party
1
Other
I don't know yet
2
43
About half of the queried Poles intend to vote in the 2014 elections. Interestingly, support for political parties depends on
the elections – in the EP2014 elections, Poles intend to vote for Liberal Democrats, while in local elections they are more
happy to support Labour with Conservatives also doing significantly better than in the EP elections. It is likely due to the
fact that Liberal Democrats are the only party clearly supporting the EU and not attacking Central European migrants.
Half of those who want to vote has not yet made up their minds though and their votes are up for grabs!
44
Elections to the European Parliament: voting site
Base: respondents
who intent to vote
in the E.P. elections
Q31. Where do you plan to vote in the elections to the European Parliament?
Values as %
n=272
Over 3/4 of respondents who intend to vote in the European Parliament elections plan to do
so in a British electoral district; only 2% plan to return to Poland to vote; and 8% plan to go to
a Polish consulate in UK for this purpose.
45
Elections to the European Parliament: reasons for not voting
Q34b. Why do you NOT intend to vote?
Base: Respondents
who do NOT intend
to vote in the E.P.
elections
European
Local
elections
Values as %
I don't have a grasp of party and candidate platforms
I'm not interested in politics, elections
I don't trust politicians, political parties
Politicians do not keep their promises
Elections do not translate into an improvement
I don't know how to vote
I don't have the right to vote
My vote won't change anything
I don't see appropriate candidates, parties
Another reason
The main reason for not taking an interest in voting is lack of knowledge of parties, platforms and
candidates. The next most frequently mentioned reason is lack of interest in politics. Every tenth
respondent said it was because they have no right to do so.
46
Elections to the European Parliament: reasons for voting
Q34a. Why do you intend to vote?
Base: all
Values as %
European elections
n=290
I want to have influence on the country's situation
I want to express my evaluation of politicians for what they have
done
I want to perform my civic duty
I want to support the party/ candidate I prefer
Local elections
n=287
I want to have influence on the country's situation
I want to express my evaluation of politicians for what they have
done
I want to perform my civic duty
I want to support the party/ candidate I prefer
The main reason why the respondents want to vote is the desire to influence the situation in the
country. About half feel impelled by a sense of civic responsibility.
47
Qualitative research
48
Qualitative research/focus groups: trends
Young professionals & students
•
•
•
Happy and focused on career development
Feel Polish, but often poorly networked with other Poles
Sometimes struggle to settle down in the UK – the first year is the most difficult,
when they have no friends
•
Expect political parties to approach them and offer immediate benefits, not
grand narratives
•
Demonstrate positive right-oriented attitude towards voting
instead of the duty-oriented
49
Qualitative research/focus groups: trends
Qualified labour
•
•
•
Migrated for economic reasons
Feel more appreciated than in Poland
They tend to follow Polish politics more closely and speak Polish as often as possible,
but demonstrate communicative level of English
• Feel ignored by the British politicians though,
expect to be approached with Polish-speaking volunteers or promotional materials
•
Recognise the power in the unity of their political voices, hope for a strong Polish leader
•
Irritated by public opinion criticism of migrants
50
Qualitative research/focus groups: trends
Parents with kids
•
•
On average, 35 years +
Raise bilingual children in British schools and attending Polish schools during weekends
•
•
•
Feel their standard of living is higher than in Poland
Find it difficult to settle down during the first two years
Don’t have time to browse for information on how and when to vote, expect it to be
easier and more accessible
•
Consider coming back to Poland for retirement (policy risk!)
51
Qualitative research/focus groups: trends
Pre-2004 migrants
•
•
Don’t plan going back to Poland at all, no dilemma
•
Still feel strongly Polish, but mostly in a cultural way
Vote regularly in both Polish and British elections – consider it as important
that they can vote in Polish elections as well
•
Strong need of Polish political parties and leaders in UK
Other A8 migrants
•
Rather think of themselves as Europeans than nationals – look for a greater narrative,
collecting them as one community (Central Europe?)
•
•
•
They feel stigmatised as migrants
Irritated with being mistaken for Russians
Lack of strong organisations in the UK, therefore no advocacy groups
52
10 things to remember
53
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
1.
Poles in the UK tend to follow news about both
countries to the similar extent, using internet and
British media as the main sources of their
knowledge about the world.
54
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
2.
72% of Poles living in the UK consider themselves
to be permanent residents of the country and have
no intention of coming back to Poland.
55
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
3.
40% of Poles living in the UK consider applying for
the British citizenship.
56
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
4.
Half of the respondents take part in local activities,
even though they find it difficult and mostly have
not taken part in similar activities back in Poland
due to earlier stage of civic society development
there.
57
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
5.
About 50% Poles in the UK want to take part in the
upcoming #EP2014 and local elections and a half
of them have already registered to do so – even
though most of them have no idea of what is the
date of the elections.
58
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
6.
Those declared to vote tend to support proEuropean parties, mostly Liberal Democrats and
Labour.
Up to 50% have not made up their minds yet
though and believe that all parties should do more
to reach them, preferably using Polish language or
Polish volunteers.
59
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
7.
Over a third of Poles living in the UK find it difficult
to understand British politics and it discourage
them from voting.
60
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
8.
Respondents are still slightly more attached to
their home city and country of origin, than to the
UK and their city of residence.
However, this sense of attachment represents
mostly a cultural connection
(culture, cuisine, tradition).
61
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
9.
However almost a third of the respondents claims
to be more attached to Britain than to their home
country and a quarter give equal scores to both
countries.
62
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
10.
A majority of respondents feel accepted in Britain a quarter considers themselves fully accepted and
another 44% indicates an acceptance level of 7 or 8
on a 10-point scale. Less than one in five answers
with a 5 or lower.
63
10 things to remember from today’s presentation
- Highly integrated minority
- Ready to play active part in the British society
- Planning to settle down in the UK
- Focused on opportunities and positive change
- Stress they find it difficult to find concise information
about elections and political system in the UK
- Keen to engage in dialogue with political parties should
they be approached directly
64
Next steps
65
What are we going to do now?
- 100,000+ flyers informing how and when to
register to vote distributed through Polish shops,
churches and schools
- Public debates with candidates and party
members to discuss programmes and meet the
politicians
- Activation of local leaders across the country
and coaching through workshops
- Targeted social media campaigns on Facebook
and Twitter encouraging to register and vote
66
Contact
Key websites:
www.jusz.eu – Jestes u siebie, zaglosuj!
www.polishcityclub.org – Aspire
• Dorota Zimnoch President of Polish City Club, Co-Leader of Aspire
Mobile: 077 252 89040; E-mail: dorota@polishcityclub.org or
zimnoch.dorota@gmail.com
• Agnieszka Kolek The Woman of the Year 2013 in UK, Co-leader of Aspire
Mobile: 079 709 39658; E-mail: agnieszka@polishcityclub.org or
agnieszka@agnieszkakolek.com
• Jakub Krupa UK Coordinator of JUSZ (Vote! You are at home) Campaign
Mobile: 074 500 95021; E-mail: Jakub.krupa@gmail.com
• Iwona Lokwenc Aspire Coordinator
Mobile: 075 151 64649; E-mail: iwonalokwenc@gmail.com
• Aleksandra Minkiewicz JUSZ Coordinator in Poland
Mobile: +48 22 556 82 52; E-mail: Aleksandra.minkiewicz@szkola-liderow.pl
67
Thank you for your
attention
68