A major new study has identified educational attainment as the single most significant factor dividing public opinion on immigration and support for right-wing political parties in the United Kingdom.
The Sharp UK Education Divide
The report, published by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), found that the gap in attitudes between graduates and non-graduates is more pronounced in Britain than in the United States. Individuals with qualifications below A-level are more than twice as likely to back the Conservatives or Reform UK compared to those with higher education levels.
This educational cleavage is starkly evident in views on immigration. The research, drawing on data from over 2,000 respondents on the NatCen Opinion Panel, shows that 55% of people with below A-level qualifications believe immigrants living in the UK without permission should not be allowed to remain. In contrast, only 36% of degree holders share this view.
Contrasting Foundations of Right-Wing Support
While right-wing politics in the UK and US are often discussed in tandem, the study underscores their fundamentally different demographic foundations. In the US, support for figures like Donald Trump is predicted by a complex mix of identity markers.
Ethnicity and religion play a far more important role in predicting Trump support than they do for right-wing party backing in Britain. Furthermore, gender gaps on issues like abortion and gender roles are described as "larger and more entrenched" across the Atlantic, even though men in both nations tend to hold more conservative views.
Age also divides attitudes more strongly in America. The research found that 40% of Americans aged 18–29 believe other countries are better than the US, a sentiment shared by just 9% of over-65s. This generational chasm does not exist in the UK, where roughly half of both the youngest (51%) and oldest (46%) generations agree there are other nations better than Britain.
Implications for Political Debate
Alex Scholes, research director at NatCen, highlighted the implications of these findings. "Right-wing politics in the UK and the US are often compared, but our findings show that they are built on different foundations," he stated.
"In Britain, education stands out as the most important dividing line, particularly on immigration and diversity. In the US, support for the right reflects a much denser mix of identities, including ethnicity, religion, gender, age and economic insecurity."
Scholes concluded that these core differences help explain why political polarisation manifests differently between the two nations and why contentious debates that dominate one country's politics do not always resonate in the other. The research positions educational background as a primary lens through which to understand the UK's political and social fractures.
