Last month’s terrorist attacks in Paris did not lead to a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in Britain, a new study has shown.

The new research, conducted by Rob Ford and Maria Sobolewska of the University of Manchester, comes amid growing concerns about western hostility to Muslims after the Front National’s strong performance in regional elections in France and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslim immigration to the US.

The academics asked the same questions both before and after the Paris attacks on 13 November. Before Paris, 33% of respondents agreed that ‘Muslims have a lot to offer British culture’, compared to 35% who disagreed. After Paris the proportion who disagreed remained the same, but an additional 2% agreed with the statement.

A similar modest increase in the proportion of tolerant respondents was shown in the responses to the statement ‘Muslims in Britain have respect for the way of life of others’. Before Paris, 23% of respondents agreed with that statement, compared to a far larger 53% who disagreed. After the Paris attacks, the positive proportion increased to 27%, whereas the proportion disagreeing declined to 51%.

The greatest change was witnessed when respondents were asked whether they felt London was better or worse off due to its ethnic and religious diversity. Pre-Paris, 40% felt the capital was better off or much better off for its diversity, whereas 32% thought it was worse off or much worse off.

After Paris, the proportion with a positive attitude swelled to 43%, but the proportion who felt London was worse off for its diversity fell by a quarter to 24%. The respondents were drawn from the whole of Great Britain, not just London, perhaps suggesting that the terrorism in Paris encouraged Brits to rally round London and defend it as a symbol of diversity.

Rob Ford commented that the study “suggests that Isis failed in their stated objective of sowing division between Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain. Far from raising anxiety about diversity and Islam, the Paris attacks strengthened liberal and multicultural views.”

Maria Sobolewska added: “While tolerance is clearly not a universal value in Britain, it is a resilient one for those who hold it. The Paris attacks did not deepen divisions among our respondents, as pessimists feared. Instead they encouraged a stronger expression of the inclusive tolerance the terrorists threaten and reject.”

1,707 people were surveyed in the first round of the study between 10 and 12 November, and 1,621 were surveyed in the second round on 17 and 18 November. The Paris attacks occurred on the evening of 13 November. Both surveys were conducted online using the YouGov panel.