Most other countries on the chart didn’t change much because going from 4% to 5% is in the noise.
The US started at a whopping 24% and ended at a number that’s still significantly higher than other countries.
As I said, politics played a role for sure, but when I read the comments before the article I expected to read about the US falling out of favor relative to other countries, which it has not.
Because every H1B who planned to migrate to the US but got locked out by Trump is choosing Canada as the next best thing. That makes Canada sloppy seconds after the US, not more desirable than the US, assuming everything else being equal.
If you look at the chart most of the decline happened before the Brexit vote, let alone Brexit. Since the brexit vote it has dropped from 5% to 4% which is not precipitous.
My niece was thinking of working in Ireland for a while and I told her that if she happened to stay for 5 years she could get an EU passport. It's a valuable thing.
As a first generation (just - I was six years old!) immigrant I am quite happy my parents (my dad's employer gave him a choice) picked the UK over the US, and I cannot think of anywhere that would be better for me.
Moving countries has hard - having done it a few times. Even going to places where you known people and know the system.
Looking at the rise of parties like AfD, National Rally, PVV etc. the EU is far more hostile to non-white immigrants.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/24/nearly-quar...
EU nations accepted millions of non-white migrants, especially post 2015 open border policy.
Reform polls higher than Restore but it turned down Elon Musk's money because it came with the condition that they allow the best known of the Unite the Kingdom leaders to join their party. Either it is to their credit, or they realise that voters would turn against them if they let him in.
The second Unite the Kingdom rally was less than half the size of the first: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/16/tommy-robin... My guess is that people went to the first as an anti-illegal immigration and asylum seeker protest and and as people have realised the real aims of the people behind it support has dropped.
What about this? https://www.dw.com/en/italy-thousands-attend-anti-and-pro-mi...
Its generally nothing to do with religion, apart from hostility to Islam. Its not hostility to non-Christians, its hostility to Muslims. What those sorts of people say about Muslims is very similar to what they said about Jews a 100 years ago, or about Catholics 200 years ago. Neither of those prejudices has entirely died (I read an article by a Labour politician whose colleagues used to ask whether he was waiting for orders from Rome) but its at nothing like historical levels.
Mostly talk of religion is a cover for talking about skin colour. Its also an attempt to import American style "Christian" nationalism which i think is going to fail because the UK does not have the same history, culture, or religion as the US: https://pietersz.co.uk/2026/10/christian-nationalism.
A lot of these people are "cultural Christians" which pretty much anyone can be. The range of "cultural Christian" goes from Richard Dawkins to Anders Breivik!
I'm not talking about "the racists", but normal people and how they perceive normal world as they go thru their normal day.