Voters across parties believe UK net migration is rising despite sharp drop

Key points

• People mistakenly believe net migration is rising in Britain despite figures dropping to their lowest level in years, a leading thinktank has found.
• New research from British Future, published ahead of latest government figures on migration, has revealed a chasm between reality and public perception of net migration, with a substantial portion of the public believing it has increased, despite figures showing a sharp fall.
• Net migration dropped from a peak of 944,000 in the year to March 2023 to 204,000 in the year to June 2025, according to government figures.
• The latest figures will be published on Thursday morning, and are expected to show a further decrease in net migration.
• According to British Future’s research, 67% of people with sceptical views on immigration believe net migration increased in 2025, compared with 37% of those with more liberal views.