Perception that right-wing extremism is a big threat has increased 15pts since February
After a week of disorder in cities across England, almost half of Britons (47%) now believe that right-wing extremists are a “big threat”, according to the results of a new YouGov poll. This represents a fifteen point increase in six months from 32% in our previous poll in February.
This brings concern about right-wing extremists to almost the same level as that towards Islamic extremists, who 52% of people see as a big threat (a figure largely unchanged since the last poll).
Far fewer believe that left-wing extremists are a major threat (23%), and only 13% say the same of Irish Republican extremists.
If we include those who see each group as a ‘moderate’ threat, then more than seven in ten see Islamic and right-wing extremists as a significant threat (75% and 72% respectively), compared to half for left-wing extremists (49%) and a little over a third for Irish Republican extremists (37%).
The threat assessment of extremists differs significantly between voters. A majority of Labour (63%) and Lib Dem voters (66%) see right-wing extremists as a big threat. This falls to 43% among Conservative voters and just 18% among those who backed Reform UK last month.
In fact, half of Reform UK voters see far right of extremism as either a ‘minor’ threat (31%) or ‘no threat at all’ (22%). Among Tory voters only 20% see little to no danger coming from the far-right, and just 5-7% of Labour and Lib Dem voters feel likewise.
Reform UK voters are two and a half times more likely to see left-wing extremists (46%) as a big threat than those extremists on the right. Only 13-16% of Labour and Lib Dem voters say the same – as with Reform UK voters, half of Labour and Lib Dem voters (51-56%) see little to no threat coming from extremists on their side of the political spectrum.
The biggest concern for Conservative and Reform UK voters is Islamic extremism, with 70% and 84% respectively branding it a major menace. This falls to around four in ten Labour and Lib Dem voters (41% and 38% respectively) – one in five of these voters say Islamic extremists are a minor threat (20-21%), although only a tiny fraction say they aren’t a threat at all (1%).
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Photo: Getty
