Attitudes towards immigrants and immigration

Updated: 24 June 2024

Next update: Not yet determined

Proportion agree that most immigrants make an important contribution to Norwegian working life
Proportion agree that most immigrants make an important contribution to Norwegian working life
2024
82
%
 
Attitudes towards immigrants and receiving refugees. Per cent
Attitudes towards immigrants and receiving refugees. Per cent
201520232024
Most immigrants make an important contribution to Norwegian working life
Strongly agree304945
Agree on the whole423837
Disagree on the whole734
Strongly disagree312
Most immigrants enrich the cultural life in Norway
Strongly agree364543
Agree on the whole353432
Disagree on the whole857
Strongly disagree634
Most immigrants are a cause of insecurity in society
Strongly agree737
Agree on the whole191115
Disagree on the whole303429
Strongly disagree273837
Attitudes towards refugees' and asylum seekers' access to residence permits in Norway. Compared to today, should it be easier, more difficult or remain the same as today?
Easier152218
As today505851
More difficult29919
Explanation of symbols

Selected tables and charts from this statistics

  • Attitudes towards seven statements on immigrants. Per cent
    Attitudes towards seven statements on immigrants. Per cent
    2015201620172018201920202021202220232024
    Most immigrants make an important contribution to Norwegian working life
    Strongly agree30212729314048454945
    Agree on the whole42454443453832363837
    Neither agree nor disagree151415121113121279
    Disagree on the whole7141011964434
    Strongly disagree3433322112
    Don't know2112213224
    Most immigrants abuse the system of social benefits
    Strongly agree8896765335
    Agree on the whole17221719181411111014
    Neither agree nor disagree1815181313131413129
    Disagree on the whole32353736343326323533
    Strongly disagree20181922252937343531
    Don't know5223458658
    Most immigrants enrich the cultural life in Norway
    Strongly agree36283334384147434543
    Agree on the whole35393537353127353432
    Neither agree nor disagree121313118131312910
    Disagree on the whole81213121075557
    Strongly disagree6655544334
    Don't know2222334345
    Most immigrants are a cause of insecurity in society
    Strongly agree7997854437
    Agree on the whole19231822161513111115
    Neither agree nor disagree15131412131512131210
    Disagree on the whole30313331322826263429
    Strongly disagree27232526293543433837
    Don't know2113222223
    All immigrants in Norway should have the same opportunities to have a job as Norwegians
    Strongly agree66586470707680777678
    Agree on the whole21282419191514171614
    Neither agree nor disagree5543543233
    Disagree on the whole5644321232
    Strongly disagree3333221111
    Don't know1111111011
    Immigrants should make an effort to become as similar to Norwegians as possible
    Strongly agree21232320201714141215
    Agree on the whole23282629252418201918
    Neither agree nor disagree15121011141618181615
    Disagree on the whole25272725272426253031
    Strongly disagree1591313131721212118
    Don't know2112212323
    Labour immigration from non-Nordic countries makes a mainly positive contribution to Norwegian economy
    Strongly agree29212624263439393835
    Agree on the whole37423944423733344139
    Neither agree nor disagree151616141215131588
    Disagree on the whole91212121176546
    Strongly disagree5544432132
    Don't know6533558769
    Explanation of symbols
  • Attitudes towards the statement that all immigrants in Norway should have the same opportunities to have a job as Norwegians. Per cent
    Attitudes towards the statement that all immigrants in Norway should have the same opportunities to have a job as Norwegians. Per cent
    All immigrants in Norway should have the same opportunities to have a job as Norwegians
    Strongly agreeAgree on the wholeNeither agree nor disagreeDisagree on the wholeStrongly disagreeDon't know
    199358178782
    199453246961
    199557234970
    199667193650
    199766205530
    199876153420
    199973173421
    200074173320
    201566215531
    201658285631
    201764244431
    201870193431
    201970195321
    202076154221
    202180143111
    202277172210
    202376163311
    202478143211
    Explanation of symbols
  • Attitudes towards refugees' and asylum seekers' access to residence permits in Norway. Per cent
    Attitudes towards refugees' and asylum seekers' access to residence permits in Norway. Per cent
    Compared to today, should it be easier, more difficult or remain the same as today?
    EasierAs todayMore difficultDon't know
    20151550295
    20161251335
    20171652284
    20181553293
    20191456236
    20201756207
    202120521612
    202222541212
    20232258911
    202418511913
    Explanation of symbols
  • Answers to four questions on relation to immigrants. Per cent
    Answers to four questions on relation to immigrants. Per cent
    2024
    Would you feel comfortable if you or somone in your close family had an immigrant as home help?
    Yes (per cent)92
    No (per cent)6
    Don't know (per cent)2
    Would you feel comfortable if you had a doctor who was an immigrant?
    Yes (per cent)94
    No (per cent)5
    Don't know (per cent)1
    Would you feel comfortable if you had a son or daughter who wanted to marry an immigrant?
    Yes (per cent)84
    No (per cent)9
    Don't know (per cent)6
    Would you feel comfortable with having an immigrant as a close colleague?
    Yes (per cent)95
    No (per cent)4
    Don't know (per cent)1
    Explanation of symbols
  • Contact with immigrants in different arenas. Per cent
    Contact with immigrants in different arenas. Per cent
    2015201620172018201920202021202220232024
    All arenas
    Yes78727879807977788082
    No21282221202123222018
    At work
    Yes54485252545451565557
    No46524848464648444542
    Among friends and acquaintances
    Yes40374348394646424446
    No60635752615454585654
    In the neighbourhood
    Yes32323637373535303537
    No68686463626564706563
    Among close relatives
    Yes15111415161818141920
    No85898685848282868180
    Through school/studies
    Yes.......131720
    No.......878380
    Through activities/organizations
    Yes.......192324
    No.......817776
    Other
    Yes12121411151418111111
    No88888689858682898989
    Explanation of symbols
  • Number of arenas where contact with immigrants takes place. Per cent
    Number of arenas where contact with immigrants takes place. Per cent
    2015201620172018201920202021202220232024
    No contact21282221202123222018
    One arena34312829343027242523
    Two arena26222725232323242123
    Three arenas10121518131616151615
    Four arenas566678881011
    Five arenas3121323456
    Explanation of symbols

About the statistics

The statistics are based on a survey. The purpose of the statistics is to map the attitudes of the Norwegian population towards various aspects of the national immigration and refugee policy and towards immigrants as a group. This year's survey was conducted between January 2 and February 10.

The information under «About the statistics» was last updated 4 July 2023.

The following instructions have accompanied the questions posed from 1993 to 2000:

“Neither agree, nor disagree” exists as a hidden response alternative, which means that it should not be read to the respondent, but be used if the respondent gives no other answer.

Immigrants

Persons with two foreign-born parents. (For adopted from abroad it is the social, not the biological parents, who count.)

Refugees and asylum seekers

Subgroups within the category “immigrants”. Refugees are persons granted political asylum or have the right to stay on humanitarian grounds. That may be due to having obtained refugee status by the UN High Commissioner or being part of the refugee quota accepted by Norway each year, or they may have come as asylum seekers and granted asylum or right to stay on humanitarian grounds."

In 1998, a supplementary question was added to the four permanent questions. This new question had the following instruction: &“This question very much resembles Innv1 - but here we distinguish between those who want to give residence to more or &“as many” refugees and asylum seekers as today. The question was deliberately placed at a distance behind the other immigrant questions. The idea behind the supplementary question was to investigate how the answers to it deviate from the answers to the question (Innv1): “Norway should give residence to refugees and asylum seekers to at least the same extent as today.”

In 2002 the instruction is being changed to the following:

An immigrant is a person having two foreign-born parents. For adopted from abroad it is the social, not the biological parents, who count.

Refugees is a subgroup within the category “immigrants”´. A refugee is a person granted asylum. This may happen in several ways. Either by being granted refugee status by the UN High Commissioner or being part of the refugee quota accepted by Norway each year, or by having successfully applied for asylum in Norway. Persons granted right to stay on humanitarian grounds are also covered by the term refugee.

Asylum seeker is a person having applied for asylum in Norway.

Please, also note that the concept refugee in colloquial language often is used about persons who are fleeing infringements of human rights, war, riots or environmental disasters.”

Upon request by an interviewer - in 2003 the first paragraph of the instruction was supplied with these additional sentences: “In the present questions we aim at immigrants with a non-Western background. This should be conveyed if the respondent asks for clarification.”

The current instruction as from 2009 and onwards is as follows:

Definition of concepts

Immigrants

Foreign-born persons registered as resident in Norway having two foreign-born parents. Persons adopted from abroad are not considered immigrants. The attitude questions generally relate to immigrants with national backgrounds from Eastern Europe, Asia (incl. Turkey), Africa and South and Central America. This should be conveyed if the respondent asks for clarification.

Refugees

A subgroup of immigrants who have migrated to the host country due to reasons of flight and have obtained asylum or right to residence on humanitarian grounds. Some are transferred from refugee camps abroad according to agreements with the UN High Commissioner of Refugees. Others have come as asylum seekers.

Asylum seekers

Persons applying for asylum or residence on humanitarian grounds. Their application for residence is still under consideration.

Labour immigration

Immigration accepted on grounds of labour. The Nordic countries have had a common labour market since 1954. As a member of the EEA (European Economic Area), Norway is also obliged to receive labour immigrants from countries within the EU/EEA/EFTA. In May 2004, this area was expanded by 10 new EU countries (Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Cyprus and Malta), and later also Bulgaria and Romania. Beyond that, access to the Norwegian labour market is severely restricted for citizens of other countries. Skilled workers and specialists from &“third countries" may be granted access if they cannot be substituted by labour resident within the area. Persons employed on a short-term basis (less than 6 months) and not registered as residents of the country are also usually included as labour immigrants. Before the ban on immigration was introduced in 1975, labour immigration to Norway was more or less free. The first immigrants from Yugoslavia, Turkey, Morocco, India and Pakistan were labour immigrants.

Not relevant

Name: Attitudes towards immigrants and immigration
Topic: Population

Not yet determined

Division for Population Statistics

Whole country, but also broken down at province level.

The statistics were published every October/November from 1993 to 2000. As an exception, the 1994 results were published in January 1995. After a break in 2001, the statistics were resumed in 2002 and published yearly in November/December.

Results have been cited in SOPEMI reports (Continuous Reporting System of Migration of OECD) from Norway.

Depersonalized micro data for both the Omnibus surveys and the Travel and holiday surveys (now: the Travel and social surveys) have been transferred to NSD - Norwegian Centre for Research Data.

The questions were posed for the first time in Statistics Norway’s Omnibus survey in June 1993, and thereafter yearly in the Omnibus for the second quarter (except in 1994 when it was the third quarter) until 2000. Every year, apart from in 2000, a document giving a simple analysis of the results has been published.

From 2005 and onwards the attitude questions were transferred to the third quarter of the Travel and holiday survey (now: the Travel and social surveys), as Statistics Norway decided that year to discontinue its Omnibus survey. In 2007, the analyses of the results were transferred from the series Notater (Documents) to the series Rapporter (Reports).

The relevant ministry responsible for immigrant integration finances the research and uses the data as a basis for evaluating how its policy aimed at immigrants and immigration is being perceived by the population. The media has given considerable coverage to the results.

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 08 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given inthe Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway’s key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally.

Not relevant

Statistics Act § 10

Not relevant

The Norwegian population aged 16-79 years, registered as resident in Norway. The unit is person.

The data source is now Statistics Norway’s Travel and social survey (previously: Travel and holiday survey). During the years 1993-2004, the Omnibus survey was used.

The net sample size has followed the development of the samples drawn in Statistics Norway’s Omnibus surveys: in 1993-1994 approximately 1 800 persons, 1995-1997 about 1 400 persons, 1998 about 1 200 persons and 1999-2000 about 1 400 persons. By the 2000s, the sample size has fluctuated between 1 400 and 1 100.

The Omnibus surveys and the Travel and social surveys (previously: - holiday surveys) follow Statistics Norway’s general sampling procedures. In the early publications presenting the results of the surveys an appendix containing details about the collection of data has been added. Since 2002, the appendix on data collection has been replaced by some paragraphs at the beginning of the publication rendering the most basic facts about the data collection: units sampled not belonging to the target population, non-response, fieldwork period, possible sample biases etc. For further details, the reader is recommended to consult documentation materials for each specific survey.

Total interview time is cited in the document/report, but not for each separate part of the survey.

Not relevant

Nothing is ever published that makes it possible to detect the identity of the respondents.

Questions that have been kept unaltered, allow for comparisons over time.

The documentation reports from the surveys include paragraphs on data collection and processing errors. They also present data on non-response and sampling bias in connection with known parameters, such as sex, age, and province.

From 2008 and onwards a part of the above mentioned documentation has been presented in the data chapter in the same reports that present the findings from the surveys on attitudes towards immigrants and immigration. Here is also exposed how the educational level distribute among the respondents in the net sample compared to the corresponding distribution in the gross sample. In 2010 the difference between the two distributions had grown so large that a weight was constructed to eliminate the bias in the educational distribution of the net sample. The results in 2010 and consecutive years have been presented with this weight activated.

Not relevant

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