51% of Moroccans favor fewer or no foreign job seekers, poll finds

About 36% of Moroccans say having immigrants live and work in the country for several years would be “very bad” for Morocco’s economy, according to a recent survey by the pan-African research network Afrobarometer.

Only 21% of Moroccan respondents said the presence of immigrants would have a “very good” economic impact, putting Morocco near the bottom of the countries surveyed, ahead of only South Africa, where 17% expressed a similarly positive view.

The findings were published in Afrobarometer’s report, “Social Cohesion in Africa: Bonds, Belonging, and the Common Good,” which examined attitudes toward immigration, refugees, social cohesion and belonging across African countries.

Côte d’Ivoire and São Tomé and Príncipe recorded the most positive views of foreigners’ economic contribution, with 69% and 68% of respondents, respectively, saying their presence had a positive impact.

Gabon recorded the highest level of negative sentiment, with nearly 74% of respondents viewing the presence of foreigners negatively.

Moroccan views on foreign job seekers

When asked about people from other countries seeking to live and work in Morocco, 51% of Moroccan respondents said the country should allow fewer or no foreign job seekers to enter.

That figure was below the continental average of 64% and lower than in most of the other countries surveyed.

Gabon and South Africa recorded the highest shares of respondents favoring fewer or no foreign job seekers, at 83% each. They were followed by Eswatini at 81%, Zambia at 80% and Tunisia at 79%.

Attitudes toward refugees

Moroccans were also more cautious toward refugees, although the proportion favoring restrictions remained below the continental average.

About 60% of Moroccan respondents said the country should allow fewer or no refugees from other countries to come and live in Morocco, compared with an African average of 70%.

The strongest opposition to admitting refugees was recorded in Seychelles, at 91%, followed by Madagascar at 90%.

The findings suggest that while a substantial share of Moroccans favors tighter limits on immigration and refugee arrivals, Morocco’s results were generally less restrictive than those recorded in several other African countries surveyed.