How does negativity about immigration fall

According to the British Social Attitudes survey, British voters currently have the most positive views about immigrants since 2011, and the negativity about immigration has been falling sharply since 2015 (just one year before the Brexit referendum). Currently, more people believe immigrants have good impacts on Britain's economy and enrich Britain's cultural life. However, the British Social Attitudes underlined that people have not changed their minds about the consequences of leaving the EU would be, this suggests that the UK population are still supporting the idea of Brexit despite warnings about its negative impacts on the British economy.

How does negativity about immigration fall? Usually we think that locals have natural negativity against immigration; however, what we see from the British Social Attitudes survey is a contradiction to this belief. Locals have hostile feelings against migrants because of several reasons generally. Firstly, locals are afraid of increasing competition in the labour market. Secondly, locals are afraid of migrants taking away their social resources. Thirdly, locals are afraid of migrants undermining the local cultural life. Negativity about immigration falls implies that locals' fears mitigate. The UK unemployment rate is very low and the income growth rate is high, this makes British people no longer afraid of increasing competition in the labour market. Moreover, as British people receive higher incomes, they care less about some social benefits  might be potentially taken away from migrants. In addition, when British people live better lifestyles, they will feel more confident about their culture, so they are less afraid of migrants undermining their cultural life.

To conclude, when people's life standards are improved, they will feel happier and more confident, then they will become less worried about the issue of immigration.