“The rise of xenophobia and rejection of immigrants” has been identified as one of the three most concerning factors that “threaten international solidarity” by about one-third of citizens, according to a survey conducted by Pitagórica and promoted by the Lisbon Club.
This indicates that “the existence of xenophobic policies and practices is classified as a threat, not immigration itself,” as “migration management” is not among the areas most cited as needing stronger policies, according to the conclusions.
The results “may show a dissonance in the level of concern between respondents’ perceptions and the political stance and media space given to the issue,” the authors noted.
In an interview, the executive director of the Lisbon Club, Fernando Jorge Cardoso, stated that “nationalist and xenophobic political speeches, which are not typical of Portugal,” are “a result seen in various European countries and in the U.S.” and are joined by “a lot of published opinion” and “many opinions of activists on social media that do not match the perceptions of the Portuguese population.”
In the survey “what do citizens in Portugal think about global challenges and international solidarity?”, the 700 interviewees show a less pessimistic view of immigration or international solidarity, contrary to the “reality thought and distorted by public discourse and published perceptions,” explained Fernando Jorge Cardoso.
Patrícia Magalhães Ferreira, one of the authors of the survey, mentioned that differences exist between people’s real feelings and public opinion that echoes the growth of extremism and populism.
“People genuinely believe in the importance of international solidarity,” illustrated the researcher, noting a “slight difference concerning the youth,” who are more skeptical about some issues.
“Women are more supportive in answers relating to human rights,” and “young people show more skepticism even on issues like climate change” or the local impact of global issues, explained Patrícia Magalhães Ferreira.
Regarding immigration, among a list of seven threats, immigration ranked only fifth, with more concern about “the rejection and xenophobic discourse against immigrants” and “integration difficulties,” noted Patrícia Magalhães Ferreira.
“According to our sample, immigration is not the problem, not the bogeyman,” summarized Fernando Jorge Cardoso.
The issue of war is pervasive throughout the survey, with many admitting that “Ukraine has changed the perception of Portuguese in favor of more international cooperation” and increased spending, provided it does not harm “budgets in social areas,” said Patrícia Magalhães Ferreira.
The study’s purpose is “to assess how citizens in Portugal perceive and position themselves regarding global challenges and international solidarity, in a world aiming to be safer, fairer, and more sustainable.”
About 80% “recognize solidarity among peoples as an effective way to address major global challenges and implement concrete solutions,” and 58% consider that the “main threats to international solidarity are, primarily, wars, armed conflicts, and violence,” the document states.
“The vast majority of the population (88%) express significant concern over the challenges faced by humanity, with the main reason for this concern being the perception that global challenges affect or may affect humanity as a whole (66%),” the authors state.
Most respondents also acknowledge that “in recent years, cooperation and solidarity have become more favorable, post-covid-19 pandemic (51%) and especially after the beginning of the war in Ukraine (64%).”
“Multilateral international organizations are identified as the main agents responsible for seeking and implementing responses to global challenges (68%),” respondents indicated, supporting “individual participation in solving global problems,” though nearly half believe that “the level of awareness about global challenges in Portugal is weak, null, or nonexistent.”
“Most citizens feel pessimistic about the future of the world, believing the global context will worsen in the next 10 years (59%),” particularly in “areas like environment and climate change, poverty and hunger, and armed conflicts and violence.”
Regarding personal situations, 42% believe they will live similarly to today in 10 years, but more expect deterioration in quality of life rather than improvements.
“More than two-thirds of the population believe climate change is a real phenomenon caused by human activity” and the “overwhelming majority supports the green transition and decarbonization of economies, as expressed in internationally agreed goals and objectives,” yet about two-thirds only support this process “provided human and social impacts are safeguarded.”
“The vast majority of citizens consider that a multiplicity of factors constitutes significant threats to global peace and security,” such as “terrorism, increasing human rights violations, and the rise in cybercrime and misinformation campaigns.”
A significant majority (85%) agree with increasing investment and allocation of resources to defense within the European Union context, although about one-third condition their support to the absence of impacts on budget and resources for social areas.
Regarding Portugal’s participation in international peace, security, and defense missions, the majority (55%) consider it adequate, but one-third think participation should be increased.
Respondents believe that reducing global poverty and hunger should be a principal global priority (89%) and without reducing worldwide asymmetries and inequalities, there will be no peace or development (80%), advocating accountability mechanisms and sanctions for failure to comply with signed global agreements (87%).
The Lisbon Club is an NGO focused on reflecting and debating global challenges, aiming to collect data to support public policies. The Pitagórica survey included a sample of 700 people, with a confidence level of 95.5%.
