Immigration Polling 2026: 71% Want Numbers Reduced — Reform Leads by 16 Points

Immigration has become the most salient political issue in Britain in 2026. With net migration running at 728,000 in the year to June 2025 — the second-highest on record — 71% of GB adults tell pollsters they want immigration numbers reduced, and Reform UK leads all other parties on trust to handle it by 16 percentage points.

The Numbers Behind the Issue

The Office for National Statistics’ provisional estimate for net migration in the year ending June 2025 was 728,000. This followed a record 906,000 in the year to June 2023 and 764,000 in the year to June 2024. The Labour government has made several changes to immigration policy since taking office — tightening the graduate visa route, raising the salary threshold for skilled worker visas, and reducing the number of care worker visas — but these measures have not yet produced a visible fall in the headline number.

The composition of net migration has shifted. Student visas and their dependants, which drove much of the 2022–2023 surge, have fallen significantly. Legal work migration, particularly in health and social care, has proved more durable. Asylum and irregular arrivals via small boats have continued at elevated levels: in the year to April 2026, approximately 36,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats, down from the 45,774 record set in 2022 but still well above pre-2018 levels.

Public Opinion: 71% Want a Reduction

A YouGov poll conducted in April 2026 asked whether respondents wanted overall immigration to Britain to increase, decrease, or stay the same. The breakdown: decrease (71%), stay the same (20%), increase (7%), don’t know (2%). The 71% wanting a decrease is the highest figure recorded on this question since YouGov began tracking it.

The sentiment is not uniform. Among Remain voters (2016 referendum), only 51% want a reduction, versus 89% of Leave voters. Among Labour’s 2024 voters, 55% want immigration reduced — a figure that represents a significant portion of the party’s coalition and helps explain the political difficulties the government faces in responding to the issue without alienating its base.

Party Trust on Immigration: Reform at 38%

When asked which party they trust most to handle immigration, respondents in a May 2026 Ipsos poll gave the following answers: Reform UK (38%), Conservatives (22%), Labour (16%), none of the above (14%), Liberal Democrats (3%), other (7%). Reform’s 38% represents a remarkable 16-point lead over the Conservatives and a 22-point lead over Labour on what is currently the most important issue in British politics.

This dominance on immigration trust is the single most important factor behind Reform’s national polling strength. Psephological analysis of voting intention cross-breaks consistently shows that among the 47% of voters who identify immigration as the most important issue, Reform leads Labour by more than 30 points. Effectively, the party has captured a substantial majority of the most engaged, single-issue immigration voters.

Labour’s Difficult Position

The government’s response to immigration polling has been cautious. Labour is constrained by several factors simultaneously: a significant portion of its activist base and parliamentary party is broadly pro-immigration and resistant to rhetoric that echoes the right; the party’s urban, graduate voter coalition is less concerned about the issue; but its traditional working-class voter base in the Midlands and North is among the most strongly anti-immigration demographic in the electorate.

The government has emphasised the headline number reductions in specific routes (student dependants, care workers) while avoiding a pledged overall cap. This messaging has not broken through: only 16% of the public trust Labour most on immigration, roughly unchanged from the 2024 election, despite the policy changes implemented.

Small Boats: The Emotive Sub-Issue

Channel crossings remain the most emotive sub-issue within immigration. An April 2026 Savanta poll found that 67% of GB adults describe small boat crossings as a “crisis,” and 64% say the current government is handling it “badly” or “very badly.” Reform UK’s policy platform — which includes a “zero boats” target and proposals to process asylum claims offshore — polls at 54% support in principle, though support drops when specific costs and logistics are detailed. Track all immigration polling data here.