A new study has revealed that educational background is a key indicator of views on immigration and diversity in the United Kingdom. The research, conducted by the independent National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), found that people with qualifications below A-level were more than twice as likely to support right-wing parties compared to those with degrees or higher-level qualifications.
The “Demographic Divide” report states that “a person with no educational qualifications had around 2 times the odds of voting for either the Conservatives or Reform UK than someone with a university degree or higher.” This trend held true even when accounting for factors like financial precarity, suggesting that lack of higher education is a strong predictor of right-wing political leanings in the UK.
The findings echo a similar pattern observed in the United States, where those with a high school education or less were twice as likely to support Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election compared to college graduates.
The study also revealed stark divides in attitudes towards race, diversity, and immigration. In the UK, 65% of degree-holders believed that diversity strengthened society, compared to just 30% of those educated to A-level or below. The gap was less pronounced in the US, where 74% of college graduates and 54% of high school graduates or less held this view.
When asked about the advantages white people have over Black people in society, 60% of university-educated respondents in both countries said “a great deal” or “a fair amount.” However, only 30% of those with qualifications below A-level in the UK, and 50% of high school graduates or less in the US, agreed with this assessment.
The researchers found that in the UK, education was the most significant dividing line, particularly on issues of immigration and diversity. In the US, support for the right reflected a “denser mix of identities,” including ethnicity, religion, gender, age, and economic insecurity.
Alex Scholes, a research director at NatCen, said: “Rightwing politics in the UK and the US are often compared, but our findings show they are built on different foundations. 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. These differences help explain why political polarisation looks and feels different between the UK and US.”
