YouGov, an international internet-based market research firm, has now found that introducing such an oath would be widely supported by the general public, with 66 percent of British people agreeing with the recommendation.
Two thirds of people support introducing an "oath of integration" for immigrants wanting to settle in the UK https://t.co/Re7PHLnCrJ pic.twitter.com/h4ddFvFpfC
— YouGov (@YouGov) 7 December 2016
There was also a preference amongst the political parties; those people who voted UKIP in 2015 are most likely to support introducing an oath of integration at 93 percent. Eight in ten Conservative voters also back the recommendation. For Liberal Democrats it was 61 percent and for Labour it was 54 percent.
Support for an oath also bridges the Brexit divide, with a majority of Remain voters backing it. Just over half — 51 percent — say they think immigrants should have to swear an oath of integration, as do 85 percent of Leave voters.
However, young people are the exception, as only 34 percent of 18-24 year-olds back the idea of people having to take an oath.
In addition to this, the majority of people who backed the suggestion would also support British-born citizens having to take an oath. At least 52 percent said that those born in the UK should also pledge to British values.
37% of Britons say immigration has meant that where they live doesn't feel like home any more https://t.co/jp9RDGatWM pic.twitter.com/T0xXQDv6f8
— YouGov (@YouGov) 5 December 2016
The issue of integration and immigration is crucial and impacts everyone to some extent.
Dame Louise Casey's year-long study, entitled, 'The Casey Review: A review into opportunity and integration,' produced on December 5, took statements from more than 800 people and researched various minority groups in Britain, focusing primarily on the Muslim community. Dame Casey stressed that women who wear veils should not be police officers, midwives or hold a public office, because people would "want to see their faces." At the same time, she said, public bodies should exercise wisdom when recruiting.
A recent YouGov survey showed that people who had experienced large amounts of migration into their country, also felt less at home in the place they lived.
Immigration is becoming an increasingly sensitive subject, with thousands of migrants risking their lives to travel to Europe. At the same time, the sentiment of patriotism and sovereignty in Europe is growing stronger, which results in more people requesting that migrants fully adapt to the values of the host nation, in this case by taking an oath.
