A new study has put the spotlight on the “frightening” divisions and tensions running through the country as pride in Britain plummets. The share of Britons who say there are tensions between immigrants and people born in the UK has surged from 74% in 2023 to 86% today, according to research by the Policy Institute at King’s College London (KCL) and pollsters Ipsos.

Half of people said the UK’s culture is changing too fast, compared with 35% five years ago. Nearly half (48%) said they would like their country to be the way it used to be – up from 28% in 2020. The share of people who say they feel proud of their country has fallen from 56% to 46% in the past half-decade.

Professor Bobby Duffy of KCL said: “This latest study shows a frightening increase in the sense of national division and decline in the UK in just a few years.”

Dr Rakib Ehsan, of the Policy Exchange think tank, called for a “meaningful response” to the public’s “craving for a greater sense of stability and belonging”.

He said the UK needed to “reduce its long-term immigration dependency, invest in boosting the skills of its own citizens, and have a renewed political focus on social integration”.

The vast majority of people (84%) say the country feels divided – up from 74% five years ago. And the share who think the nation is divided by “culture wars” has gone up from 46% in 2020 to 67% today. The researchers found 48% of people now consider “woke” an insult – double the 24% back in 2020.

They discovered the proportion of the public who think transgender rights have gone too far has shot up from 17% to 39% since 2020. However, 19% say these rights have not gone far enough, while 27% say they have gone as far as they should; 15% did not give an opinion.

There is evidence that divisions over Brexit are healing. While 52% feel there is tension between Leavers and Remainers, this is down from 78% in 2020. And while 74% also thought there was tension between different social classes in 2020, this now stands at 62%.

“Three-quarters of Reform supporters say there is a ‘great deal’ of tension between immigrants and people born in the UK, twice the level of Labour, Lib Dem and Green supporters. Six in 10 young women say that transgender rights have gone as far as they should or have not gone far enough, while six in 10 older men say transgender rights have gone too far.”

Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: “Far too many people feel deeply concerned about the disintegration they see in our towns and cities. We must focus on what unites us but we cannot be afraid to face down the division and lack of integration in our communities.

“Only then can we begin the process of reuniting our country.”

Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos, said: “Continued global and domestic disruption and fragmentation is reflected in our latest study, which illustrates how the narrative around culture wars is intensifying in the UK. Perceptions of political and cultural disharmony are growing, reflecting a society grappling with nostalgia, the pace of change, and growing tensions over immigration, and with polarised views over what terms like ‘woke’ signify.”

He said the challenge is to “understand the roots of these divisions and use these insights to create dialogue and policy that can help reduce further polarisation”.