More than a third of people are open to start supporting a refugee charity, a survey has found.

According to the survey, 37% of 3,000 people surveyed in April and May this year, are open to supporting a charity helping asylum seekers but do not currently do so.

Charity researchers Eden Stanley, which has carried out the research says the findings show “there is untapped potential” for refugee charities.

Just under half of those surveyed are either happy with the current level of asylum applications being accepted or believe the UK should be taking in more refugees.

More than half (52%) say they are sympathetic to refugees, which is a six-percentage point increase over the last seven years.

Less than a quarter say they are do not have sympathy for their plight, which is down over the same period.

Politicians handling of issues around immigration and refugee status is being met with scepticism, according to the survey.

Just under two thirds of people believe politicians are using refugees “as a weapon to stoke the culture wars”.

Three distinct groups of attitudes to refugee issues are highlighted in the report. These are:

• High sympathy – those who advocate welcoming refugees to the UK, highlighting their positive impact on society and criticising the government’s insufficient support.

• Weary and ambivalent – those who are broadly ambivalent towards the issue but express fatigue over the politicisation of refugees and distrust how the media portray them.

• Low sympathy – those who are sceptical towards refugees and their cultural and economic contributions, viewing them as a security risk and economic burden, and opposing the idea of accepting more.

Eden Stanley founder Joe Barrell says the survey’s findings show “a shift in public sentiment” towards refugees contrasts with culture war attacks on those seeking asylum in the UK.

“More than half of the UK population now expresses empathy towards refugees, a significant increase from 2017,” he said.

“It’s clear that the public’s support is growing, not diminishing, even in the context of the highly polarised political debate on the topic – and it's important that campaigners of all types understand this.

“The news that over a third of people (37%) say they would be open to supporting a refugee charity, but don’t do so currently, presents a real opportunity for NGOs and other charities to reclaim the discourse on this issue and inspire real change.

“To do so effectively they need to focus their efforts on understanding the ambivalent middle or ‘Weary’ group that our research identified and develop engagement strategies that speak to their concerns.”

---