MORE than two in five people in South Dorset do not think that immigrants should be free to live and work in Britain, according to new research.

News publisher Unherd – which surveyed more than 21,000 people in conjunction with pollster FocalData to map social attitudes across Great Britain – warned views on migration were "reshaping the British electorate", overshadowing the old economic divide between left and right-wing.

Participants were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement "immigrants should be free to move to Britain and work".

The responses were then analysed to create a model for each constituency based on the demographics of their populations.

In South Dorset, more people were against immigration (42%) than were in favour (28%), with the rest undecided.

Of these, 17% strongly disagreed with the statement, while 24% said they simply disagreed.

In West Dorset 30% supported free movement of labour, compared to 38% who did not, with the rest undecided.

Of these, 9% strongly agreed with the statement, while 22% said they simply agreed.

The constituencies were ranked based on how many agreed versus disagreed, with a lower ranking indicating greater support for immigration.

South Dorset placed 568th of 632 constituencies – not including the 18 in Northern Ireland.

West Dorset placed 412th.

Across Britain as a whole, 35% of people were pro-immigration, 38% were against, and 27% were not inclined either way.

Age, education and existing ethnic diversity are key factors that influence an area's collective attitude towards immigration, according to Eric Kaufmann, Unherd commentator and professor of politics at London's Birkbeck University.

The proportion of people with a university degree closely correlates with their outlook, with more educated populations tending to be more welcoming of migrants.

London's Battersea had the most pro-immigration sentiment, with 63% backing their right to work in Britain, and just 18% disagreeing.

The area most hostile to immigrants was Clacton in Essex, where 47% of residents were against free movement.

Mr Kaufmann added: "Immigration attitudes are the fulcrum around which the politics of western societies are realigning.

"This is because those whose psychological make-up inclines them to see difference as disorder and change as loss are voting for parties that promise to slow immigration.

"Should Boris Johnson ink a [Brexit] deal while failing to reduce migration levels, we should expect this debate to return – intruding as sharply into British politics as it did in the run-up to 23 June, 2016."