What is the public attitude towards irregular migrants’ rights?

In Europe, the number of irregular migrants is estimated to be between 2.6 million and 3.2 million.

New research shows that access to primary health care for irregular migrants is generally preferred over providing low-income support.

The PRIME study, undertaken by researchers at the European University Institute in Italy and the University of Uppsala in Sweden, collected the answers of 20,000 people across Austria, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK.

Respondents in the UK were found to have more negative views than in the other four countries across a number of policy areas.  

Those surveyed in the UK were also the least supportive of granting irregular migrants access to primary health care, even when paired with reporting duties.

These five countries were selected for the study due to their geographical proximity and differing demographic characteristics, as well as variations in their welfare, labour market, and migration policies, according to the report.

“Our research challenges the idea that public attitudes to irregular migrants’ rights are simply ‘pro-‘ or ‘anti-‘. Instead, we find that policy design matters — often when policies offer both control and protection, public support increases,” said Joakim Palme, professor of political science at Uppsala University and a co-author of the study.

What migration controls boost support for access to rights?

Among the five countries, there was greater support for irregular migrants receiving healthcare and back pay for withheld wages when these rights were linked to obligations for public sector employees to report irregular migrants to authorities.

However, the provision of cash assistance to irregular migrants, even when paired with reporting obligations, did not garner public support.

British and Swedish respondents were generally unsupportive of back pay for irregular migrants, even when linked to subsequent removal procedures.

On the other hand, Italian respondents stand out for their positive overall attitude towards granting rights to irregular migrants.  

They are also significantly more likely to favour regularisation and to support unconditional access to primary health care. 

Progressive and politically left-leaning respondents were generally more likely to express positive attitudes towards granting irregular migrants legal rights and regularisation opportunities. 

Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz