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9h ago

Ipsos/KCL Survey Finds Britain Feels More Divided, With Immigration and Culture Wars Driving Tensions

Official figures also show a rise in Prevent referrals for extreme right-wing concerns, underscoring security worries.

(EDITORS NOTE: Image contains profanity) Thousands of people take part in a London Trans+ Pride march on 26th July 2025 in London, United Kingdom. London Trans+ Pride is a grassroots protest event which has been organised since 2019 for the purpose of creating a space for the London trans, non-binary, intersex and GNC community to come together to celebrate their identities and to fight for their rights. A ruling by the UK Supreme Court in April 2025 that "sex" refers to a person's sex as assigned at birth threatens the rights of trans people in the UK. (photo by Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)
WALTHAMSTOW, ENGLAND - AUGUST 7: Anti-racism counter protesters assemble ahead of a potential anti-immigration protest on August 7, 2024 in Walthamstow, United Kingdom. A series of anti-immigrant protests and riots have swept the country in the week after a deadly knife attack in Southport, England, fuelled by false rumours that the suspect was an asylum seeker. In recent days, far-right groups on social media have circulated a list of more than 30 anti-immigration protests scheduled for tonight at asylum centres and immigration firms across the UK. It was unclear how many locations would attract sizeable crowds; in many locations, the group "Stand Up To Racism" had organised counterprotests ahead of the planned protests. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
The culture wars rage on. Illustration The Big Issue
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: Far-right activists hold an 'Enough is Enough' protest on August 02, 2024 in Sunderland, England. After the murders of three girls in Southport earlier this week, misinformation spread via social media and fueled acts of violent rioting from far-right actors across England. While they prefer to be called 'concerned parents', their actions point to racial hatred with a particular focus on Islamophobia thus targeting mosques. (Photo by Simone J Rudolphi/Drik/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The representative poll of 4,027 people conducted 21–27 August 2025 finds 84% say the UK feels divided, up from 74% in 2020.
  • Perceived tension between immigrants and UK-born people has climbed to 86%, a sharp rise from 74% reported in 2023.
  • The share who believe the nation is split by so-called culture wars has increased to 67% from 46% in 2020, with 39% now saying trans rights have gone too far.
  • Fewer than half of respondents (46%) say they feel proud of the country, while 50% think culture is changing too fast and 48% want Britain to be “the way it used to be.”
  • Home Office data show Prevent referrals citing extreme right-wing concerns rose to 1,798 in the year to March 2025 from 1,314, as Ipsos cautions many people are not at ideological extremes.