New survey of refugees in London backs Mayor’s integration priorities
London has a long history of offering sanctuary to refugees fleeing persecution and conflict. Today this means refugees having an equal opportunity to have a decent quality of life and contribute fully, in safety and dignity, to making London the best big city in the world.
To tackle the barriers refugees face in integrating into London the Mayor launched in December 2009 London Enriched, his refugee integration strategy for London. The priorities of London Enriched have been reinforced by an independent, groundbreaking survey of refugees living in London.
The survey, undertaken by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the GLA, backs the Mayor’s focus on English language, by concluding that good English skills are the key to integration.
Refugees who report good English language ability were more likely to be in work, more able to find the information they need to find housing and more likely to feel they can influence local decision-making. Good English also linked to more positive attitudes towards community cohesion and feeling safe in the local area.
Despite the importance of English language skills, English language courses are often falling short. Half the refugees took over a year to access an English language course. Those refugees likely to be most vulnerable such as women and those with low or no qualifications report poorer levels of English, even after having attended courses.
The survey found that refugees in London hold positive attitudes towards community cohesion and citizenship, and feel safe in the city, but they also face considerable barriers to integration, particularly around employment and housing.
Fewer refugees are now in work than in their home countries and a third have moved down a social grade since coming to the UK. While the proportion of refugees in employment is half that of the London population, the majority say they have not received support-finding work.
For nearly a third of refugees it takes a year or more to find housing that meets their most basic needs. Most rely on friends and family for information and advice on housing rather than more formal channels.
As well as English language, employment and housing, the survey covered health inequalities, community safety and cohesion, children and young people, community development and participation.
Download the refugee survey here
London Enriched: The Mayor’s Refugee Integration Strategy defines his vision for refugee integration in London. The strategy will guide the implementation of this vision over the three-year period from 2009 to 2012.
London Enriched: The Mayor's Strategy for Refugee Integration PDF
