Poll: Australia-New Zealand, North America best-rated regions for migrants

Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Native-born populations around the world are finding a common ground with migrants more often than not, and are in general agreement that their community is a good place for immigrants, a Gallup survey said Tuesday.

The report said three quarters of migrants said their new communities are a good place for immigrants to live, and more than half of native-born residents said the same.

Natives in Australia and New Zealand ranked highest in the survey, with 87 percent of natives and 90 percent of migrants giving favorable reviews. North America was ranked second, with 79 percent favorability among native populations and 85 percent for migrants.

The pollster said sentiment is generally the same in top-rated areas, although migrants are slightly more likely to speak favorably of their new community than natives.

"Instead of seeing their communities as worse places for migrants to live amid the recent backlash against them in different parts of the world, Gallup surveys show that worldwide, migrants themselves have actually become more likely to see their communities as good places for migrants," the report said.

The research shows attitudes haven't changed much in North America this decade, but there's been great change in South Asia, where natives' favorability climbed from 33 percent in 2010 to 58 percent last year. Among migrants, it rose from 34 percent to 59 percent over that period.

Gallup's report said the lowest-rated places for migrants is sub-Saharan Africa. East Asia also saw a decline of 9 percent from 2010.

Attitudes significantly improved in the Middle East and North Africa region, climbing 22 points to 73 percent. For natives, however, the positive rating there is just 48 percent.

Gallup polled nearly 130,000 natives and 7,000 first-generation migrants in 143 nations worldwide for the survey, which has a margin of error of 1-2 points.