Only 16% of the population considers immigration to be negative

Around 1.6 million immigrants live in Portugal. Data from the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) is from April of this year. In 2023, around 75,000 Portuguese decided to make the opposite journey , seeking better living conditions in other countries. With numerous people of different nationalities and cultures entering the country—and thousands of citizens leaving every year—the question has often dominated public debate: is immigration positive or negative?

There is a large Portuguese diaspora spread across the world. This has been a common practice over the past few decades, and today, a large proportion of young people are considering organizing their lives abroad, whether seeking new experiences or out of necessity. At the same time, and at a time when there is talk of a demographic crisis and the difficulty countries like Portugal have in ensuring generational renewal, younger people admit that marriage and having children are part of their plans for the near future.

These and other data emerge from a survey conducted in partnership with Netsonda, which covers various social topics. Comparing information collected in six regions of mainland Portugal (Greater Lisbon, Greater Porto, Central Coast, North Coast, North and South Interior), and analyzing responses from different generations, these are the main findings.

The issue of immigration has been in the media spotlight and on the priority list of various political interventions in recent years. On the one hand, arguments are made about the overloading of national services due to the high migratory flow that has been emerging in Portugal; at the same time, cultural and religious differences are exploited, which, for some, are incompatible with national traditions. On the other hand, arguments are made that the presence of different nationalities in our country enriches the culture, that the workforce is essential to our economy, and that those seeking a better life in Portugal are welcomed with open arms.

The majority of the Portuguese population falls somewhere between these two perspectives: 58% of respondents view immigration neither positively nor negatively, but rather neutrally, believing that its impact on society depends on the context. For Jorge Vala, a sociologist and researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences, social attitudes toward the entry of foreigners into the country depend on four factors: "Party political dynamics," "public policies related to the issue of immigration," "the values ​​of nationals of host countries," and "the beliefs of those who immigrate."

Among the population surveyed by Netsonda, 24% believe that immigration has a positive impact on society and enriches the country, with only 16% admitting to having a negative view of immigration, stating that it brings more problems than benefits to the citizens of the country in question. "When asked, at the European level, how many immigrants there are in their country, people always exaggerate. They say there are more than those who actually reside there. This is an indirect indicator of a less positive reaction to immigrants in general," emphasizes Jorge Vala.

In this sense, the sociologist states that those who hold a negative view of immigration ultimately consider three aspects that structure their thinking. "One has to do with what we call an economic threat; another a threat to identity; and yet another a threat to individual security," he highlights, noting that the "perception of a threat to individual security has grown slightly" over the past few decades. Jorge Vala adds that most citizens have resisted the pressure instilled by the political and media agenda, which "has positioned immigration as the major issue Europe must address."

"It's not one of people's priorities," explains Jorge Vala, describing the results of the latest biannual Eurobarometer data, which sees issues such as "economic well-being, war, and health" as the main concerns of European populations, always ahead of the issue of immigration.

On the other side of the coin, 57% of those surveyed by Netsonda admit to having considered emigrating—with the majority admitting to already having plans to do so, or intending to do so in the future, even if they don't have a concrete plan yet (38%). Maria Filomena Mendes, a professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Évora, believes that the high number of Portuguese people with plans to emigrate ultimately reflects a relatively peaceful opinion regarding immigration. She also emphasizes that Generation Z is the most represented among those who want to leave Portugal in search of better conditions, with 75% of young people up to 28 years old admitting to having considered doing so.

Among some schools of political thought, the "Great Replacement" theory began to emerge. This theory claims that Caucasian populations—in this case, Europeans, but originally French—are being replaced by non-European peoples, both culturally and demographically. The number of subscribers to this theory remains a small percentage of the population, but discriminatory behavior against different ethnic groups or immigrants is becoming more noticeable.

Thus, despite the diverse cultural and ethnic representation in Portugal, whether from people coming from former Portuguese colonies in Africa, Brazil, or countries like India and Bangladesh—who have more recently begun to seek out Portugal as a place of work and housing—the Portuguese admit the existence of discriminatory attitudes directed at these social groups.

Half of respondents consider racism a "serious" problem in Portuguese society, with this perception being more pronounced among women (58%) than men (42%). On the other hand, 31% admit that racism still exists, but that the problem has been easing over the years and that the population has become increasingly tolerant of population diversity. Another 18% consider these incidents to be isolated and insignificant. Older generations (30% of Baby Boomers and 22% of Generation X) are those who report less significant figures regarding the existence of these behaviors in Portuguese society; in contrast, younger groups consider discriminatory attitudes to be common in Portugal.

According to respondents, immigrants (58%) and people of different ethnicities (52%) are the main targets of discrimination. The LGBTQ+ community (41%) is also named as one of the groups most affected by discriminatory behavior, followed by people with disabilities (32%), the elderly (27%), and women (26%).

Portuguese society has become increasingly diverse. Not only ethnically and culturally, but also with the influx of immigrants in Portugal, religions are also a fundamental aspect of the different communities. Of the population that responded to the study, 70% stated that they had some religious belief, with Catholicism being the most common (55%). Non-Catholic Christians are also represented (13%), and other religions such as Judaism and Islam appear in residual percentages in the Netsonda survey. However, 26% report not identifying with any of these religious groups, choosing to identify as atheists or agnostics.

Of these, the youngest are the most represented. Between the ages of 18 and 28, 34% of the population falls into the non-religious group, of which only 22% of the oldest group do. Of those who identify with a religious denomination, the majority are occasional practitioners (42%), although the criteria for considering themselves practitioners vary from person to person. 16% admit to being non-practicing, and another 16% say they practice their religion frequently, with the remainder doing so less regularly.

Although young people are the least involved in the religious world, they are the ones who most practice alternative spiritual activities, such as guided meditation and mindfulness (24%) or healing sounds (10%). Overall, a large portion of the population (65%) does not engage in these practices, but of those who do, meditation is the most common (17%), especially in the large urban centers of Lisbon (23%) and Porto (21%).

Other notable activities include ambient music and healing sounds, such as Tibetan singing bowls (12%), Reiki and energy therapies (11%), the use of crystals and aromatherapy (9%), astrology and numerology (8%), and the practice of tarot and oracles (5%). Finally, 3% report channeling spiritual entities. Analysis by gender reveals significant differences: men show much less interest in practicing spiritual activities than women—75% of men do not practice them, compared to 57% of women.

Half of the respondents are married or in a civil partnership. Of these, the majority are those aged 28 and older. The study indicates that of those who have already been married, the most common (34%) is that they met their partner through family or mutual friends. The educational context is also relatively common, with 21% of participants reporting meeting their partner at school or university, with only 15% reporting meeting their partner at work.

Of the latter, the percentage is higher among Generation X than among others, particularly Millennials, with a significant difference in the weight this context has in opening the door to a relationship (19% vs. 9%, respectively). For Maria Filomena Mendes, a professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Évora, this phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the generation aged 29 to 44 "entered the job market later."

Millennials are those who "left their parents' home later, who stopped studying later," and therefore end up having less "professional contact," both in terms of knowledge and experience in the workplace and in interpersonal relationships with colleagues. With the trend toward increasingly later marriages, it's more common for Millennials who have already married to be with someone they met before entering the workforce or in an external environment, while those who remain single are more likely to marry someone they met in the workplace.

Other settings mentioned include meetings in restaurants, bars, or nightclubs, which account for 11% of all marriages in this population. While this scenario is a reality for only 1% of those living in Greater Lisbon, the practice is more common in the North Interior (16%) and the Central Coast (14%). Overall, 8% of people have used social media and 4% have used dating apps like Tinder or Bumble, for example. Although not a significant percentage, it's worth noting that younger generations are the ones who most use these digital tools to find a relationship.

If 52% are married or living in a civil union, do the remaining 48% intend to follow the same path? The answer, generally speaking, is not straightforward. One half is divided between indecision (15%) and certainty that they don't want to get married in the future (36%). The remaining 49% admit that they would like to do so within the next two years (15%) or even later (34%), but always with the intention of doing so at some point in their lives.

Sixty percent of men are among those who desire to marry, while only 40% of women share the same line of thought. However, the majority of the younger population, aged 18 to 28, wants to marry sometime in the near future, with 58% expressing this intention in response to the Netsonda survey. When comparing responses across income brackets, it is noted that 49% of those earning less than €1,000 per month have no intention of marrying. In contrast, 22% of those with monthly incomes above €3,000 have the same response.

Whether already married, single with the intention of getting married, or simply single, when it comes to starting a family, 58% of respondents report having children. The most common is having an only child (49%) or two (41%). Large families are a minority in Portuguese society, with only 9% of the population having three or more children. The number of births has been gradually declining in several European countries, as revealed by Eurostat data.

Around 2010, nearly five million babies were born each year. In 2023 (the last year recorded by the European organization), the number of births fell short of four million. According to data from the Netsonda survey, although a minority of the population is childless, the majority intend to have at least one in the future. 17% intend to have only one child, but 39% would like to have two.

As Maria Filomena Mendes explains, it's a positive sign that people continue to express the desire to have children in the future. However, the sociology professor emphasizes, there's a big difference between desire, intention, and even implementation. 58% of Generation Z admits to wanting to have two children in the future, and Maria Filomena Mendes believes these are the ones who—most likely—will actually achieve their intentions.

Even among those who don't have children, 32% confirm they have no intention of having any in the future. Of this group, it's worth noting that more women admit to not wanting children (37%) compared to men (26%). The most represented generations are Millennials and Generation X, those between 29 and 60 who, according to the expert consulted, "are those who, by saying they have no intention of having children, are the most likely to actually not have them."

"The age at which people start a family has been delayed," emphasizes Maria Filomena Mendes, adding that, for this reason, even if the intention is to have two or more children, different issues arise as a person ages, whether "issues of infertility" or even economic crises that affect the country as a whole and, consequently, "perceptions about the future." "For example, people become unemployed or are more fearful of what might happen to the country's economy in the coming years, and for these reasons, they may end up not being able to carry out their intentions," she adds.

This survey was conducted by Netsonda in collaboration with Observador, between September 11th and 17th, 2025. The study was conducted through an online questionnaire administered to the Netsonda panel. The target population consisted of a representative sample of individuals aged 18 to 64 residing in mainland Portugal. Respondents were informed of the study's objective and expressed a willingness to participate. A total of 800 online interviews (CAWI) were collected. This sample size is associated with a margin of error of 3.46%, with a 95% confidence level.