Romanians are broadly young, educated and the most economically active European migrant community in England and Wales. But, according to a recent YouGov poll, they are the least-wanted European immigrants in the UK. So why hasn’t public opinion kept pace with the reality of what this group contributes?

A decade after Brexit, a disconnect remains between people’s perceptions and the available evidence on Romanians’ contributions to society – and indeed, the personal experiences of many in the UK. After all, Romanians are the fourth largest foreign-born community in the country.

Part of this gap may reflect narratives about eastern Europe that predate large-scale Romanian migration to the UK. US historian Larry Wolff argued that eastern Europe was constructed in western European thought as Europe’s “dark twin”. In his book Inventing Eastern Europe, he shows how 18th-century travellers’ accounts blended real observation with conjured darkness. He argued that this produced a template of backwardness and danger, juxtaposed to western European Enlightenment.

Similar attitudes persisted into the 20th century. According to public historian Tessa Dunlop, Queen Marie of Romania, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, struggled with her early apprenticeship as princess in this eastern European “backwater”.........

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