Almost a third of people in Britain have personally backed the refugee relief effort in the last month, according to a new opinion poll on the crisis.
The Populus survey for the Charities Aid Foundation shows that more than six million people – 12% of the population – have given money to a refugee charity appeal, 10% have donated food, clothes or other goods, while a further 9% have either volunteered their time or backed social media campaigns supporting refugees.
The poll findings also reveal that the upsurge in humanitarian support for refugees in Britain extends to more than 1.8m households, or 7% of the population, saying they are prepared to offer a room or space in their homes to a refugee.
The findings come as local authorities told the Home Office that they need a number of key issues “to be urgently resolved” over the operation of the expanded scheme to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in Britain over the next four and a half years, which was announced by David Cameron three weeks ago.
Local authorities say they need clarity in particular over how the expanded refugee scheme is to be funded. So far government has only guaranteed funding for one year to be financed from the foreign aid budget but the councils are being expected to support the refugees for at least five years.
It appeared on Wednesday that reports of the arrival in Britain of the first group of the 20,000 refugees to come under the new expanded scheme were premature. Refugee and local authority sources indicated there were further arrivals under the existing limited scheme, which has seen just over 200 Syrian refugees resettled since it started last year.
A Home Office spokesman said that the Syrian refugees who arrived on Tuesday had been chosen under the existing criteria of the resettlement scheme. He added that they were the first group to arrive since the prime minister’s announcement that the scheme would be expanded to 20,000 refugees by 2020.
David Simmonds, of the Local Government Association asylum, migration and refugee task group, said: “Councils across the country are coming forward with offers to help Syrian refugees and we are pressing government on exactly how the scheme will operate. We need to know who is arriving and when in order to ensure that we have the right homes, school places, and other support that may be required.
“There are a number of issues that need to be urgently resolved, in particular the need for a firm commitment that councils resettling refugees will receive full financial support, in order that it is not seen later as an unfair burden on communities that open their doors.”
The Home Office say they are working closely with local authorities and the UNHCR and detailed information is being shared on individual refugees coming on the resettlement scheme.
The Charities Aid Foundation poll on British attitudes to the Syrian crisis found that the main reasons people gave for lending their support was the belief that international assistance was essential (40%), the large-scale nature of the crisis (39%), and seeing images of children in distress and danger (36%). Almost half of 18– to 24–year–olds (42%) said their support had been prompted by what they had seen on social media.
John Low, of the Charities Aid Foundation, said: “The heartbreaking pictures we have seen of people risking their lives as they flee for safety has really touched people across the country and spurred them on to lend support.
“British people have a proud history of stepping up to the plate and helping others across the world in their time of need. It is a mark of that generosity that so many people are lending their support whether by raising money, donating goods, or even offering space in their homes for a refugee.”
He said that one of the best ways people could ensure their contributions were effective was through charities operating locally that were coordinating appeals.
“The desperate need to get support to refugees is likely to remain once the news agenda has moved on. People who have been spurred into action in the past few weeks could make an even bigger difference by thinking about how they can turn their support into something which helps relief efforts in the longer-term,” added Low.
Populus interviewed a random sample of 1,078 UK adults aged 18 and over online between 11-13 September 2015. Surveys were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. Populus is a founder member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.