British and American public opinion towards refugees has hardened following the terrorist attacks in Paris. More than four in ten (44%) Britons now believe that the UK should close its borders to refugees entirely, up five points since October, according to new research by Ipsos Mori.
The view is shared by nearly one in two (48%) Americans, up two points compared with last month.
Opinions in the two countries are in stark contrast to opinion in Canada, where a third of voters want to see borders shut to refugees, which represents a one point drop on October.
The debate in the US after the attacks in Paris has centred around the security checks and processes that Syrian refugees go through before being resettled, with the rhetoric among Republican presidential candidates turning particularly explosive and the House of Representatives passing a bill that would make it even more difficult for refugees from Syria and Iraq to enter the country.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government of recently elected prime minister Justin Trudeau has reaffirmed its commitment of increasing to the 25,000 the number of Syrian refugees it aims to welcome by the end of the year.
In all three countries surveyed there is strong agreement for putting refugees through proper security screening regardless of their situation, with 83% of Americans, 80% of Canadians and 86% of Britons saying that this should be the case.
Far fewer – 28% in the US, 25% in the UK and 30% in Canada – believe refugees should be admitted as quickly as possible when a humanitarian emergency takes place, a 10-point drop across all three countries on views held before last weekend’s events.
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