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Nearly two-thirds of people (63%), and seven out of ten Labour voters (71%), believe that children seeking asylum should have the same access to schools as British children.
Only one in ten (12%) believe that plans to educate them apart from other children would improve race relations in the UK - and over half the population (54%) believe that plans to house asylum seekers away from centres of population will actually damage race relations.
The findings came on the eve of the Report Stage of the Asylum Bill, which contained proposals to educate asylum children away from the local community in accommodation and detention facilities.
The five-question MORI survey carried out on behalf of the TGWU clearly indicates that despite strong feelings about the policies of housing asylum seekers in giant rural detention centres, the general public is against the government's policy of educating asylum seekers' children in isolation.
The five questions and the responses are:
Q1 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements ...?
Access to school in Britain should be a basic right for all children
|
Strongly agree
Tend to agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Tend to disagree
Strongly disagree
Don't know |
85%
11%
1%
1%
2%
1% |
Children seeking asylum in Britain should have the same access to schools as British children
|
Strongly agree
Tend to agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Tend to disagree
Strongly disagree
Don't know |
35%
28%
6%
12%
14%
5% |
Q2 We would now like you to think more about the education of children in Britain who are seeking asylum.
Which, if any, of the following statements comes closest to your view on what should happen?
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They should be provided with education at local schools
They should be provided with education separately in accommodations or detention centres
They should not be provided with education at all by the state
None of these
Don't know |
44%
37%
6%
10%
4% |
Q3 Supposing children who are seeking asylum in Britain were to be educated in accommodation or detention centres. Do you think this would improve or harm race relations between asylum seekers and the rest of the population, or would it make no difference?
|
Improve relations
Harm relations
No difference
Don't know |
12%
41%
40%
8% |
Q4 Please tell me whether you think that plans to house asylum seekers in separate accommodation centres away from major centres of population in the future will improve or damage race relations in Britain, or will it make no difference?
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Improve race relations in Britain a great deal
Improve race relations in Britain a little
Damage race relations in Britain a little
Damage race relations in Britain a great deal
Make no difference to race relations in Britain
Don't know |
3%
5%
21%
33%
32%
6% |
Q5 We would now like to talk about the issue of reducing inequalities between different groups of people, sometimes referred to as 'social inclusion'. For each of the following policies, could you tell me whether you think they would increase or decrease inequalities in Britain or do you think they would make no difference ...?
Housing asylum seekers in accommodation or detention centres
|
Increase
Decrease
Make no difference
Don't know |
34%
17%
38%
12% |
Educating children of asylum seekers in accommodation or detention centres separately from local children
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Increase
Decrease
Make no difference
Don't know |
39%
18%
33%
10% |
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