ByMATHILDA HELLER
Updated:

Almost half of Britons want to see fewer or no Israeli immigrants in the UK, a new YouGov poll named “Britons have a more negative view of immigration in 2026 than in 2016” has revealed.

When asked, “What countries do Britons think we should allow more and fewer migrants to come from?” 23% of respondents said there should be less immigration from Israel to the UK, and 24% said there should be none.

This meant a total of 47% wanted either a partial or total reduction in Israelis being allowed to live in Britain.

This represented an eight-point increase from 39% in 2016.

The YouGov poll also explored how the views of those who voted either Remain or Leave in the Brexit referendum have changed since 2016 regarding migrant nationalities.

Metropolitan Police officers stand on duty as people attend a rally organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, opposite Downing Street in central London on April 30, 2026.
Metropolitan Police officers stand on duty as people attend a rally organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, opposite Downing Street in central London on April 30, 2026. (credit: CARLOS JASSO / AFP via Getty Images)

The overall finding was that Remain and Leave voters have generally changed their opinions in the same direction. There were not many cases where, for example, Remain voters became more welcoming toward a nationality while Leave voters became less welcoming toward that same nationality.

But there are some interesting exceptions.

Voters have become more negative

Notably, Remain voters have become more negative towards migrants from the US and Israel, compared to virtually no change among Leave voters. The percentage of Remain voters who wanted fewer or no migrants from Israel increased from 27% in 2016 to 41% in 2026, while in both 2016 and 2026, 52% of Leave voters said there should be fewer or no migrants from Israel.

On the other hand, Leave voters have become substantially more welcoming toward Polish, French, German and Japanese migrants.

Splitting by political party (determined by who the respondent voted for in the 2024 elections), the highest levels of negative views towards Israeli migrants were seen among Reform UK and Green voters, at roughly 52-53%.

Labour and Conservative voters are around the mid-to-high 40s, while Liberal Democrat voters are lowest, at around 41%.

Overall, Russia recorded the highest combined opposition to immigration at 58%, followed by Pakistan at 52%, Nigeria at 48%, Israel at 47%, Egypt and India at 44%, and Turkey at 43%.