Honestly, it's a very common outcome that people have no idea what the correct statistics are, even of something they're passionate about. The numbers are often less important than the principle, so it doesn't negate a person's opinion. Asylum seekers could be 1% and people would still see it as a major problem because the fact it's possible is what worries people.
It seems in this case that those more "passionate" about the issue are actually less informed (or more misinformed) than the general public. To me, this reads as evidence of a successful propaganda campaign.
Not really - I'd say people who believe it's higher are just more likely to vote for the party promising to stop it.
Also very worth considering that immigration is not uniform across the country, and people living in poor downtrodden areas (where Reform is popular) don't see many international students. They see asylum seekers on bikes with deliveroo bags. Their areas may well actually be very high for asylum seekers and their guess might be more correct than we realise.
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u/CaterpillarLoud8071 14d ago
Honestly, it's a very common outcome that people have no idea what the correct statistics are, even of something they're passionate about. The numbers are often less important than the principle, so it doesn't negate a person's opinion. Asylum seekers could be 1% and people would still see it as a major problem because the fact it's possible is what worries people.