80% of migrants say: “Vote Remain”

• Remain campaign boosted as 80% of migrant community back EU membership
• New super poll from Telecoms giant Lebara, of its migrant customers in UK, follows concerns that EU referendum has made Britain seem “xenophobic”
• Part of ‘The Other Referendum’, a campaign standing up for UK migrants

21^st June 2016 (London): Over 80% of Britain’s migrant communities have declared they want a “Remain” in the EU Referendum on Thursday – and would vote to Remain, if they could.

Lebara Mobile, the universal brand for the world’s migrant community, conducted a super-poll among its UK customer base – most of whom are immigrants working in Britain – encouraging them to speak up and take an active part in the EU referendum debate.

The text poll went to 750,000 Lebara customers in the UK, as part of Lebara’s ‘The Other Referendum’ campaign designed to stand up for migrants in Britain, following concerns that EU referendum has made Britain seem xenophobic.

Regardless of whether they are allowed to vote in the referendum or not, Lebara wanted to provide their customers with a voice.

The detailed results of the question – where Lebara customers were encouraged to “text IN or OUT to 38885” – revealed that support for the Remain campaign is hugely strong among certain migrant nationalities:

• Slovakia – 96% favour Remain
• Germany – 93% favour Remain
• Romania – 93% favour Remain
• Bulgaria – 91% favour Remain
• Latvia – 91% favour Remain
• Lithuania – 91% favour Remain
• Poland – 90% favour Remain

By contrast, sentiment was more balanced among other migrant communities, with some communities showing a desire to leave the EU:

• India – 58% favour Leave
• Ireland – 47% favour Leave

Ratheesan Yoganathan, Chairman & CEO of Lebara Mobile, said:

“Migrants are hardworking people and they deserve a voice. But sadly, throughout this referendum, they have been abused as a political punching bag. This has damaged Britain’s reputation on the world stage. It has made Britain seem more xenophobic.

“Lebara wants to stand up for hardworking migrants in Britain and to change the tone of the debate. By helping migrants to speak up, we can have a real impact on this referendum.”