Attitudes towards UK immigration are largely mixed, according to a recent survey conducted by The Observer and think tank British Future.
The research found that while 60 per cent more people believe that immigration has been good for the UK's cuisine rather than the reverse, while film and music received a favourable 29 per cent more and Premier League Football 26 per cent.
In fact, new businesses were also thought to have benefited from the allocation of UK work permits, with 36 per cent more people stating that immigration had had a positive effect on this area of business than those who believed it had impacted negatively.
There were, however, some areas in which the British public were less certain of the benefits of UK immigration, with 60 per cent more of those questioned stating that immigration is bad for the availability of housing than those who think it is good.
Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham, who is keen for more open debate regarding immigration, told the paper that the public's attitudes are clearly not being driven by anti-immigrant feelings.
He explained: “These figures show people are not anti-immigrant per se. They have views about how immigration affects them. People are worried about the effects on their housing and schools and jobs. It is the opportunity for politicians to get in the mix.”
The research also revealed that a large proportion of people who have moved to the country on UK work permits or visas have settled in remarkably well. Indeed, 70 per cent of Asians in Britain said that they had a strong sense of 'British belonging' compared to just 66 per cent of white Britons who expressed the same sentiment.