More than half the population are welcoming of the Uighurs, but 80 percent disagree with the way in which the Premier handled the issue, according to a poll.

An independent survey by Research.bm also found 60 percent thought Dr. Ewart Brown should step down as Premier as a result.

The poll of a representative sample of the population found the majority of residents 53 percent, believe Bermuda should accept the four Uighurs, with men and blacks more welcoming than others.

Asked for their views on the statement: Bermuda should accept the four Uighurs who were recently released from prison in Guantanamo Bay, 60 percent of men agreed, compared to 47 percent of women.

And 61 percent of blacks agreed, compared to 40 percent of whites.

Young people were also more likely to be supportive of the Uighurs, with 58 percent of 18-34-year-olds in agreement compared to 42 percent of 55-64-year-olds.

When asked if they approved of the manner in which Dr. Brown handled the decision to allow the four men to stay, eight in ten people disagreed, with whites more disapproving than blacks.

Among respondents, 97 percent of whites disagreed with Dr. Brown's handling of the issue compared to 69 percent of blacks.

And when asked if they believed Dr. Brown should step down as leader as a result of the way he handled the decision, six in ten residents agreed.

Just over a third 36 percent, of blacks thought the Premier should step down, but among the white population this shot up to 80 percent.

Dr. Brown was off-Island yesterday and unavailable for comment. However, in a statement the Progressive Labour Party said: "While this survey's methodology is fatally flawed, we're pleased that Bermudians are, by in large, welcoming of four innocent refugees to our shores. It is unfortunate that those demographics most unfriendly to the PLP are the least welcoming of these four innocent men."

The statement added: "Consider this clear illustration of the flawed methodology represented in this survey. In reality, Bermuda's population is approximately 55 percent black. In this survey, just 36 percent of the respondents were black. In reality, Bermuda's population is 34 percent white. In this survey, 51percent of the respondents were white. Further, 13 percent were mixed/other in this survey versus seven percent in the general population."

Major Glenn Brangman, the Uighurs' liaison officer in Bermuda, did not return a request for comment.

Research.bm used Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) to sample 402 Bermuda residents aged over-18 last month.

The company said: "The data was weighted to be representative of Bermuda's population on the following factors: age, education, race and gender."

The margin of error is +/- 4.9 percent.