A new survey has found that 34 per cent of UK adults believe London contains "no-go" areas where sharia law dominates and non-Muslims cannot enter, a belief echoing recent claims by US President Donald Trump. The poll of more than 2,000 adults, conducted in March and published on Thursday, September 10, also revealed that 36 per cent rejected the notion, while approximately one in five respondents were uncertain.
Trump's claims and public perception
Earlier this month, Mr Trump claimed that certain parts of London contain areas where police are "afraid to go" because there is "no law and order". Speaking during an interview with GB News, he said: "You have areas in Paris and London where the police don't want to even go in them, there's no law and order. They're afraid to go in them. Either they're afraid or they just don't, you know, they don't want to lose their life."
His remarks came a year after he told a United Nations gathering that London wants to "go to sharia law". The YouGov poll, commissioned for the "London has fallen? Misperceptions of crime, race, religion and life in the UK capital" study by King's College London (KCL), found that the general public consistently overestimates crime levels across the capital.
Crime estimates vs reality
Respondents estimated that 30 per cent of Londoners had personally fallen victim to crime within a single year, while Londoners themselves put the figure at 25 per cent. Both figures were considerably higher than the actual rate of 12.2 per cent, according to KCL researchers. Reform UK supporters held the most exaggerated perception of crime risk in London, placing their estimate at 40 per cent.
The study further revealed that the Muslim proportion of London's population is believed to be more than twice its actual size – with the average public estimate standing at 35 per cent, compared to the true figure of 15 per cent. Supporters of Reform UK and the Conservative Party were particularly prone to overestimating the city's Muslim population, at 50 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.
Political divides in perception
Conversely, Labour and Green supporters were less inclined to acknowledge that certain categories of crime have increased, the research discovered. Despite rises in both violent and sexual offences across London, fewer than half of supporters from these parties believed either had increased – in stark contrast to majorities amongst Reform and Conservative supporters.
Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the policy institute at KCL, commented: "London has become a lightning rod in our national debate – deeply connected to arguments about crime, immigration and the direction of the country – with the sense that 'London has fallen' now a recurring theme in political, media and social media narratives." He added: "This study shows people don't just have varying opinions about the capital; they're working from different facts about it – with many being far too negative about the realities in London."
