Polish Migrants in Scotland

Polish_migrants_in_Scotland_2014

For a link to the .pdf:

Polish migrants in Scotland: voting
behaviours and engagement in the
Scottish independence referendum

 

This report from the Centre for Population Change (CPC) from the University of South Hampton was published recently and highlighted on the University of Edinburgh’s Future of the UK and Scotland website by Coree Brown, a PhD student in Politics at the University of Edinburgh. According to the study:

” The recent population census shows that
the Polish community appears to be one of the
fastest growing migrant populations in Scotland,
growing from 2,505 in 2001 to 55,231 in 2011
and reaching an estimated 56,000 in 2012. “

The Polish population has grown to more than 1% of the population of Scotland, and its politically active.  At 56,000, it is the largest non-UK migrant population in Scotland today. Unsurprisingly, this population is supportive of Scotland for its open policies to migration, and has chosen to stay in the country because of economic opportunity. 

In summary:

“The study indicates that the Scottish independence
referendum is a very salient issue among survey
participants. While less than half of the survey
participants took part in other sub-national elections
(that is, local and European Parliament elections) in
Scotland, the vast majority of participants indicated
that they would vote in the Scottish independence
referendum. Survey participants’ intentions to vote in
the referendum were linked to the inclusive political
opportunity structure in Scotland with regard to both
policies and public attitudes towards migration.
The Scottish independence referendum is an
unprecedented event amongst established EU
member states. The referendum may lead to the
break up of the UK and creation of new states that
could in turn, necessitate the designation of the
residence rights to EU migrants living in Scotland.
The majority of Polish migrants who participated in
the survey declared that they planned to stay and
live in Scotland regardless of their concerns about
the outcome of referendum. This suggests that Polish
migrants in Scotland are, and will become a long-term
settled population in Scotland.”

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