en 
The European Social Survey (ESS), which brings together researchers from various European universities, is now in its tenth round and covers almost 60,000 respondents in 31 European countries. The study revealed that the degree of openness of the Portuguese to immigration has increased, as they are one of the most tolerant people in this field.
According to Expresso, Portugal is one of the countries where respondents register the greatest openness to immigrants and where this trend has increased since the beginning of the millennium, "along with the United Kingdom, Spain and Norway".
In 2022, when the survey was carried out, the United Kingdom had high levels of openness to foreigners, despite the fact that the political decisions of Conservative governments are increasingly aimed at making it more difficult for migrants to enter Britain.
On the other hand, anti-immigrant feeling has increased in countries such as Greece and Hungary, as well as in Czechia, where opposition to immigration has grown the most in the same period since 2002.
Another of the study's conclusions is that feelings of rejection are more significant in poor countries than in rich ones. The results "indicate that the more socio-economically developed countries tend to be those where people are less opposed to immigration". However, the report mentions other studies carried out in Europe which "have already shown that the increase in the flow of immigrants has no significant impact on attitudes towards immigration".
Trust
With regards to immigrants as a "cultural threat", the study reveals that Portugal's tolerance has improved. If in 2002 the Portuguese survey put the cultural threat of immigration at level 6, it has now dropped to less than 5. The ranking of those who feel most threatened by immigration are, once again, the Czechs, Hungarians and Greeks, all close to level 7 out of 10.
"Low levels of interpersonal trust are a characteristic of the population living in Portugal. This profile is found both in 2002 and in 2022, with Portugal in the group of countries with values below the average value of the scale and the European average," the report reads. Only Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Serbia scored lower than Portugal among the 31 countries studied. Portugal scores 4.5 on the interpersonal trust index, while the countries where people trust each other the most are Sweden (6.7) and Finland (6.8).
Politics and democracy
According to Expresso, the Portuguese gave the police an average trust rating of 6 out of 10, but trust in the justice system "is lower now than it was in 2002, and is well below the average for the countries" where the survey was carried out. In 2002, the justice system had a trust rating of 5.5 and now it has fallen to 4.
In 2022, "politicians and political parties continue to be the groups to which the lowest values of trust are attributed", while "the police is the most trusted institution both in Portugal and in all countries, and was the only national institution that has seen a considerable increase in trust over the last two decades".
According to the report, "Portuguese democracy is seen as performing particularly poorly" when it comes to "equality before the law in the courts”. The perception of whether "the courts treat everyone the same" has worsened over the last 20 years. And the idea that "governments take measures to reduce income inequality" or "protect citizens from poverty" has not improved, even though various social benefits have been created and developed over these two decades.
Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252
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I do hope that Portugal looks at UK, France, Ireland, Sweden to name a few where irreversible mass immigration has caused havoc and discontent of the people from those countries.
By JG from Algarve on 06 Dec 2023, 06:14
By allowing immigration Portugal will deplete the huge tourism benefit it has and foreign expats will go as well.
Immigrants need to be discouraged, especially the Mid-East/ Africa migrants filling into the EU. Once they settle in that's it -your stuck with the abuse they bring.
By PEDRO CAPAZORIO from Other on 06 Dec 2023, 11:11
Being open to immigrants isn't the same thing as allowing your country to be overrun by them. Portugal hasn't faced anywhere near the same pressures as the largest countries in Europe, so has been sheltered from the problem.
It's not racist or bigoted to want to control your borders and limit who comes into your country. That's simple common sense. Housing, public services and other resources are limited, so it's not practical at all to have open borders. Otherwise, the entire Third World would be here tomorrow. We are not responsible for dealing with every country's drama, emergencies, wars, famine, corruption etc etc....
By Billy Bissett from Porto on 06 Dec 2023, 11:27
JG, do you have a learning or mental disability? That's the only way your extreme ignorance can be forgiven.
By Jeff BB from Beiras on 06 Dec 2023, 20:40
The situations are not comparable. Portugal is a relatively poor country (by European standards) with low wages, low growth and low welfare payments. Most immigration to Portugal comes from richer North European and North American countries with higher standards of living. These immigrants bring capital investment into Portugal and overwhelmingly benefit the Portuguese economy (without foreigners pre-1974 most of the Algarve was a barren desert, for example). If Portugal suddenly had to cope with a mass influx of low-skilled, low-paid workers looking for a higher standard of living the situation would be very different and more comparable to the richer countries previously mentioned.
By Zero from Algarve on 07 Dec 2023, 10:26
Billy, the very concept of a border is racist. If you want to protect your border, you ARE racist. Earth belongs to everyone.
By Jeff BB from Beiras on 07 Dec 2023, 23:49
Lived in 7 countries, most of which larger European ones, and the decline and degeneration due to uncontrolled immigration, has been violent. I myself come from LEGAL immigrants, who adapted and actually enriched their host country!
I will not be called names by ignorant and clueless people, and even if they do: I do not care one bit! You want them? Then open YOUR HOUSES AND TAKE THEM. But do not have the audacity to tell other people, especially law abiding and tax paying citizens, to absorb this madness.
Portugal has taken decades to crawl out of the middle ages and become somewhat first world adjacent, it will take a lot less than what is happennig in Paris or London to propel it back to the dark ages. It's really very simple: invite the third world, become the third world. And btw, putting clowns into Parliament will not turn the clowns into respectable, non corrupt politicians. It will just turn politics into a circus. Which is where we are now.
By Hart from Lisbon on 08 Dec 2023, 06:54
The very notion of "the third world" is a deepl6 racist notion. The only reason there is a "third world" is because wealthy or "first world" countries plundered everywhere. But the "third world" outnumbers everywhere else and everyone else. You can't stop the tide.
By Jeff BB from Beiras on 09 Dec 2023, 21:24