A poll released Wednesday shows that the world is becoming less welcoming to immigrants. As the European Union rolls out a new asylum deal, some European countries are becoming the least accepting of immigrants in the world.
Julie Ray, an immigration expert at the Gallup Poll Center, said Wednesday that global acceptance of immigrants fell from 5.34 in 2016 to 5.21 in 2019, largely because Latin American countries have become less accepting of immigrants.
According to the survey, the countries with the biggest changes in willingness to accept immigrants are Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. These countries have seen an influx of Venezuelan refugees fleeing internal unrest.
Peru’s score fell to 3.61 from 6.33 in 2016, while in Colombia the percentage of people who think it is good for migrants to live in the country fell from 61% to 29%.
Seven European countries, led by North Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia, were ranked in the survey as the least accepting of immigrants in the world.
Gallup’s survey, based on 140,000 interviews in 145 countries and territories, asked people about their views on immigrants living in their own country, becoming neighbors and marrying their families.
Canada was the most welcoming country to immigrants, scoring 8.46 out of a possible 9, followed by Iceland and New Zealand.
The U.S. ranked sixth in the survey, scoring 7.95. Ray said, “Although immigration is a hot topic in the U.S., most Americans are very accepting of immigrants.”
Globally, the survey shows that younger generations, those with higher levels of education, and those living in cities are more accepting of immigrants.
Refugee Crisis in Europe
Gallup launched the Migrant Admissions Index (MAI) in the wake of Europe’s 2015 migrant crisis. At the time, more than one million refugees were fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East to Europe.
European countries have long wrangled over how to handle the influx of migrants. Many of the refugees arrived in European countries through dangerous sea journeys, and many died in the process.
The European Union’s Executive Council on Wednesday unveiled a plan that would legally require all member states to accept a specified share of refugees. However, Poland, Hungary and other countries have refused to accept the plan.
The EU proposed the plan after a fire broke out in Europe’s largest refugee camp, Camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesvos, earlier this month. The camp was housing 12,000 refugees, more than four times its capacity.
Among European countries, only Sweden and Ireland were among the top 10 most welcoming countries for immigrants in the Gallup survey.
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