Attitudes to town centres and migrants quizzed in poll for BBC Wales

Newport city centre has undergone much change in the past decade

The majority of Welsh residents think their nearest town or city centre has declined over the last decade, an opinion poll for BBC Wales suggests.

According to the poll, more than half said their nearest centre had become "a worse place to shop, work or visit".

ICM Unlimited did the research for BBC Wales' annual St David's Day poll.

It also suggests an increase in the proportion of people who think that migrants have a positive impact on Britain's economy.

When asked whether their town centre or city centre had become "a better or worse place to shop, work and visit" over the last decade, 54% of respondents said it had declined.

• Valleys high street named the best in the UK

• Campaigners want more help for high streets

• 'Magical' town named best place in Wales

• See the poll data

A quarter said it had stayed the same with 17% saying their town or city centre had improved.

When asked about shopping, 69% said they shopped online at least once a month while 17% said they never shopped online. But 1% of respondents said they shopped online daily.

More than half of respondents, 55%, think the Welsh Government should have powers over criminal justice, policing and prisons with 39% believing the powers should stay with the UK government.

On migrants and the British economy, 63% believed that they have a positive impact - up three percentage points from last year.

Two percent more than last year - 58% - agreed that Britain's cultural life was "generally enriched" by migrants from other countries.

Treorchy High Street was named the best in the UK earlier this year

On the environment, people were asked if they had changed their behaviour in light of the climate change debate - and 58% said they had changed their behaviour at home.

But 20% said they had not changed their behaviour at all.

When it came to taking a holiday, just 23% said they had changed their behaviour a fair amount or a great deal, with 51% saying they had not changed their behaviour at all.

On the economy, nearly half of respondents said they were less confident about the Welsh economy than they were 12 months ago - 48% against a fifth who were more confident.

There is a similar proportion saying that they are less confident about the British economy than they were a year ago - 48% compared to 26% who were more confident.

A vacant redevelopment plot in Llanelli

Despite this, people seem to be more comfortable about their personal situation, with four in 10 workers saying they are more confident about their job security than they were 12 months ago. A fifth were less confident.

The poll found around of third of adults felt more confident about their household's financial situation than they did 12 months ago, with 32% more confident compared to 26% who are less confident.

ICM said this "greater positivity" about respondents' own or family situation compared to the economy overall is a pattern they had seen previously in their research.

ICM Unlimited interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 people aged 16 and over by telephone on 4 to 22 February 2020. Interviews were conducted across Wales and the results have been weighted to the profile of all Welsh adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.