Results from a new MMR poll reveal that 64.1 percent of Icelanders have a positive stance towards foreign tourists, Vísir reports. Men have a more positive stance than women (70.5 percent and 57.5 percent positivity respectively), as do residents of the capital area as opposed to those living outside of it (67.5 percent and 58 percent respectively). Supporters of the Progressive Party stand out in this regard, as they show the least positive attitude towards tourists of any group polled. Overall, there has been a 15.9 percent decrease in Icelanders’ positivity regarding tourists compared to 2015, when it was measured at 80 percent. Last year, 67.7 percent reported having a positive stance towards them.
The group with the most positive stance towards tourists has decreased in number since last year, exhibiting a 4 percent drop from 68 percent. Likewise, the group with the most negative stance has also become smaller, having gone from 11.5 percent to 10.5 percent. One fourth of those polled reported not having a positive or negative stance regarding tourists, a 4 percent increase since last year.
Positivity towards tourists goes hand-in-hand with income level. Only 52.7 percent of low-income people (those with a household income under ISK 400,000) are positive towards tourists, in contrast to 78.2 percent of high-income earners (those with a household income of over one million ISK). Supporters of the Social Democratic Alliance (89.1 percent) and Bright Future (86.2 percent) are the most positive towards tourists, while supporters of the Progressive Party are the most negative (47.6 percent) towards them.
