Amnesty: 29% of UK would accept refugees fleeing war & persecution into their home

Amnesty 4 in 5 people welcome refugeesAmnesty International’s global survey of 27,000 people across 27 countries (which includes the United Kingdom but not Ireland) reveals that 4 in 5 people replied to say that they would welcome refugees.

Our survey shows that while many governments still claim they simply can’t find room for refugees, their citizens feel the opposite way.

The UK and Australian governments are probably more out of touch than any other leaders globally: an astonishing 87% of British people and 85% of Australians are ready to invite refugees into their countries, communities – even their own homes.

  • 73% of those surveyed agree that people should be able to take refuge in other countries to escape war and persecution.
  • Globally, 80% of respondents would accept people fleeing war or persecution in their country.

10% of respondents globally said they would accept refugees in their home: the United Kingdom (29%) and Greece (20%) were behind China (46%). A further 47% of those surveyed in the UK said that would personally accept people fleeing war or persecution into their neighbourhood. Only 11% would refuse them entry into the UK.

amnesty refugees welcome index 2016

Amnesty have constructed a Refugees Welcome Index combining answers and ranking countries on a scale based on how many respondents would accept refugees into their neighbourhood and into their home.

We created a ranking based on our survey results, called the Refugees Welcome Index. China comes out on top, with almost half of those we spoke to saying they would accept refugees in their own home. Russia, Indonesia and Thailand – which thousands tried to reach by boat after fleeing Myanmar last year – came bottom of the list.

People in Germany and the UK are also taking the refugee crisis particularly personally, ranking second and third as the most welcoming.

Across the globe, 2 in 3 people say their governments should do more to help refugees – including in countries that have already welcomed huge numbers: 84% feel this way in Jordan, 75% in Germany, and 74% in Greece. In Kenya, which hosts nearly 600,000 refugees – including 413,000 people from Somalia – 65% agree.

An incredible 96% of Germans, who made room for 1 million people in the last year, are still open to the idea of hosting more. In Jordan, a small country already hosting over 600,000 refugees from Syria, 94% feel the same way.

The full data is available along with charts and a summary news story.

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