MOST Roma migrants want to stay in the UK after Brexit according to a new report.

Researchers found the access to education benefits and employment in cities like Glasgow with a Roma population outweigh the prejudice and discrimination they face at home in Romania and Slovakia.

There are an estimated 3000 to 4000 Roma migrants in Glasgow, many concentrated in the Govanhill area.

The influx has been controversial with problems of crime and environmental health issues often blamed on Roma people.

Read more: Roma children in Govanhill 'waiting up to a year' for a school place

However, a new study of Roma migrants across the UK, including Glasgow, has said they would still rather be here than their country of origin.

Roma people are shown to be statistically the largest ethnic minority and most socially excluded group in Europe.

Since the European Union eastern expansion many have settled in Glasgow and other UK cities.

The latest report, by academics at Loughborough University found migrants described life in the UK as being of “overwhelmingly positive experiences” despite still facing prejudice.

Dr Cristian Tileagă, one of the report authors, said: “We found that Roma participants reported overwhelmingly positive experiences of migration to the UK.

“However, optimistic accounts of the benefits of migration may actually leave migrants vulnerable to acculturative stress – something that might arise from individual, group, and state pressures to adjust to the host culture.

“The positive aspects mentioned by the people we spoke to related mainly to employment and the benefits system, which might have the adverse consequence of reinforcing existing negative stereotypes.”

However, even though the Roma communities were experiencing prejudice, as they also did in their country of origin, they felt that the UK offered better opportunities and a better quality of life compared to Romania.

The researchers said that the existence of Roma communities within communities was a factor in their desire to stay.

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Dr Tileagă: “As a result, most hoped and planned to continue to live and work in the UK post-Brexit.

“When recounting their migration experiences, the community members emphasized the role of informal social networks.

“These wider communities play a big part in reducing the psychological and material costs involved in moving to another country.”

It is suggested in the report that discrimination against Roma people in Glasgow and the UK could be worse than reported as a result of the perception of the migrants and comparisons with home.

The report stated: “Prejudices and discrimination were portrayed as problems in the country of origin, but less so in the UK.

“At an early stage of settlement negative experiences in the country of origin are very much the yardstick against which everything is being measured.

“However, what Roma migrants failed to appreciate was the negative public current of opinion in the UK and the more general policy context aimed at limiting migration in general and Roma migration in particular.

“Downplaying prejudice and discrimination in the UK may mean Roma migrants fail to recognise and report discrimination, exploitation, or complain and challenge unfair practices.”