A new poll from Market and Media Research shows that while the majority of Icelanders still regard tourists positively, that outlook has declined between July 2015 and now.
Last year, 80% of Icelanders overall viewed tourists positively, while 7.5% viewed them negatively and 12.5% had no opinion. According to the latest results, 67.7% now say they regard tourists positively, while 11.5% view them negatively and 20.9% had no opinion.
In terms of demographics, slightly more men than women view tourists in a positive light, while those living in the greater Reykjavík area were more likely to be positive than those in the countryside.
One clear trend that emerged concerns income level. Namely, the more an Icelander earns, the more likely they are to view tourism positively.
Even political alignment may have some bearing on viewing tourists positively. Voters for left-aligned parties, such as the Social Democrats and the Left-Greens, were more positive towards tourists than right-aligned parties, such as the Independence Party and the Progressives.
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