Britons are tougher on immigration and diversity than their US counterparts, new research has found.
A new poll has cast doubt on the idea that the British public is more socially liberal than the American people.
Polling showed that 42 per cent of Britons believe there should be legal challenges to deport those living in the country without permission.
Just under a third, 33 per cent, of Americans thought the same.
The findings indicate that the idea that the British public is more socially liberal than the American people may not be true
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The research also found that almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of the US public believe diversity is a strength to society – compared to fewer than half (49 per cent) of Britons.
According to the National Centre for Social Research (NCSR), Reform UK voters take a stauncher stance on deporting illegal migrants compared to Trump supporters in the US.
Polling found that seven in 10 supporters of Mr Trump believe illegal migrants should not be allowed to stay, compared to almost eight in 10 (79 per cent) Reform voters.
Researchers behind the study said they wanted to “better understand how public attitudes in the UK compare with those in the US, and the extent of polarisation in the two countries”.
Polling showed that 42 per cent of Britons believe there should be legal challenges to deport illegal migrants
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GETTYNCSR research director Alex Scholes said: “The idea that Britain is more socially liberal than America doesn’t hold up across all issues.
“While the UK is clearly more liberal on questions to do with family, sexuality and religion, attitudes to immigration and diversity show the opposite pattern.
“People in the UK are less likely than those in the US to see diversity as a strength, or to think that openness to people from other countries is essential to who we are as a nation.
“Our findings suggest that polarisation in the two countries looks very different.
“In the UK, the sharpest divides are around immigration and national identity, in the US they’re around social issues and the role of government.
“These differences will shape political debate on both sides in the years to come.”
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Reform UK voters take a stauncher stance on deporting illegal migrants compared to supporters of Mr Trump | REUTERSHowever, the British public were found to have more liberal attitudes towards other issues, such as contraception, abortion and same-sex marriage.
More than nine in 10 Britons (92 per cent) believe the availability of contraception is good for society, compared to 78 per cent of Americans.
When it comes to same-sex marriage, around one third of Americans (34 per cent) believe it is a societal good compared to just under six in 10 (59 per cent) of the British public.
Britons and Americans were also found to have starkly differing views on the topic of abortion.
In the UK, 86 per cent of people believe abortion should be allowed in most or all cases, compared to 63 per cent of those in the US.
The topic also revealed a huge gap between Reform UK voters, with 82 per cent backing legal abortions in most or all cases, compared to just 35 per cent of Mr Trump supporters.
The survey questioned 2,000 Britons aged 16 and over and 8,000 Americans aged 18.
