Public strongly back freedom of movement between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK

New polling commissioned by the Royal Commonwealth Society supports a recent UK-based YouGov survey that highlights overwhelming support across Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK for reciprocal rights to live and work freely in each other’s nations. Headline figures show 70% of Australians, 75% of Canadians, 82% of New Zealanders, and 58% of Britons polled support free mobility.

This follows on from an idea by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, who called for a free labour mobility zone between the UK and Australia. Previously, the Mayor said ‘as we reconsider Britain’s place in the world, I want us to reconsider how we engage with Commonwealth people’.

We at CX published How to Solve a Problem like a Visa in November 2014 that looked at the Mayor's proposal. This polling is a continuation of the report.

One can download a copy of the polling brief below:

The report’s author, Tim Hewish, our co-founder and now director of policy and research at the RCS said:

“The polling results are clear. Its strength is that it doesn’t just ask Britons. There is immense support from Australians, Canadians, and New Zealanders. Collectively we possess a unique bond which needs protecting. We share a language, a legal system, and a Queen. This is shown most visibly on all our passports with the Queen or her representative ‘allowing the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance’. Free labour mobility zones offer a contemporary way to demonstrate the deep ties between our peoples and I urge governments to discuss practical ways achieving this.

Last year, a petition proposed freer movement between the four nations. It now stands at over 100,000 signatories.

CX is now the policy arm of the Royal Commonwealth Society