Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions

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There have been recent calls for the 2011 national census to include extra tickboxes in Category "A" (in addition to the current tick boxes for "British", "Irish", or "Any other White background"), as there have been claims of racial discrimination by some Welsh, English, and Cornish people. <ref>[http://www.pledgebank.com/Cornish-Tick-Box Cornish demand 2011 Census tick box]</ref> <ref>[http://www.mebyonkernow.org/Public/Stories/251-1.shtml Mebyon Kernow Support the campaign for a Cornish tick-box]</ref> There was some confusion due to the fact that one first had to deny being British, by crossing out the British option, and then writing "Welsh", "English", or "Cornish" in the "Any other" category. The Office for National Statistics recognises that many people want to distinguish themselves as Welsh, English or Cornish and not just "British" in the 2011 census and is considering adding extra tickboxes for this purpose.<ref>[http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/BSPS/annualConference/2006_localgov.htm#generated-subheading3 Cornwall Council data on Cornish identity]</ref> <ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/press_release/letters/Telegraph_Mail_13_15Mar06.asp 2011 Census tick-box for "English" and "Welsh" national identity]</ref>
There have been recent calls for the 2011 national census to include extra tickboxes in Category "A" (in addition to the current tick boxes for "British", "Irish", or "Any other White background"), as there have been claims of racial discrimination by some Welsh, English, and Cornish people. <ref>[http://www.pledgebank.com/Cornish-Tick-Box Cornish demand 2011 Census tick box]</ref> <ref>[http://www.mebyonkernow.org/Public/Stories/251-1.shtml Mebyon Kernow Support the campaign for a Cornish tick-box]</ref> There was some confusion due to the fact that one first had to deny being British, by crossing out the British option, and then writing "Welsh", "English", or "Cornish" in the "Any other" category. The Office for National Statistics recognises that many people want to distinguish themselves as Welsh, English or Cornish and not just "British" in the 2011 census and is considering adding extra tickboxes for this purpose.<ref>[http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/BSPS/annualConference/2006_localgov.htm#generated-subheading3 Cornwall Council data on Cornish identity]</ref> <ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/press_release/letters/Telegraph_Mail_13_15Mar06.asp 2011 Census tick-box for "English" and "Welsh" national identity]</ref>
There has also been some concern that a large number of second generation Irish people did not read the instruction to 'indicate your cultural background' and believed that they must answer 'British' (or 'Scottish' in Scotland) rather than 'Irish' because of their birthplace."


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 13:12, 13 June 2007

For information on Immigration to Great Britain and Ireland or the United Kingdom see: Prehistoric settlement of Great Britain and Ireland, Immigration to the United Kingdom (until 1922) and Immigration to the United Kingdom (1922-present day)


There are people from various ethnic groups who reside in the United Kingdom.

For most of the last millennium the lands now constituting the United Kingdom were largely inhabited by indigenous peoples. Since World War Two substantial immigration from the New Commonwealth and beyond has transformed the ethnic landscape so that the United Kingdom now plays host to an ethnically diverse population. Alongside the indigenous population, descended from peoples present prior to the Twelfth century, there are significant numbers of non-indigenous Whites, Blacks, South Asians, Orientals and other groups together with a growing mixed race population.

Indigenous population

Further information: [[:Prehistoric settlement of Great Britain and Ireland, Briton]]

Indigenous Britons are descended from the peoples that settled the region prior to the 12th Century. The pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse influences are still evident in various regions of Great Britain. Indigenous British people comprise several nations and ethnic groups: the English, Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Ulster-Scots and Irish of Northern Ireland.

Non-indigenous ethnic minorities

The Jews

Further information: [[:British Jews, History of the Jews in England]]

The first Jews arrived in England in 1070 from Rouen following the Norman Invasion. There is mention of them in the Domesday Book. They were expelled in 1290 under the edict of expulsion but a small number returned from 1656 onwards. The vast majority of today’s Jewish community, however, descend from Jews who arrived from Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.[1] It is hard to discern the number of ethnic Jews in the United Kingdom as they are classified as white on census forms. In 2001 however there were 267,373 practitioners of Judaism in the United Kingdom.

The Irish

Main article: Irish community in Britain

From the independence of the Republic of Ireland in 1922 until 1949 citizens of that country retained their status as British subjects and also legal right to settle in the United Kingdom. From 1949 onwards they have had to meet the same criteria as other nationalities to settle in the United Kingdom (see British nationality law and the Republic of Ireland) and many have done so. In 2001 691,232 people claimed “White Irish” ethnicity (excludes Northern Ireland), although there are thought to be thousands more 2nd and 3rd generations. The Irish are the largest white minority in the United Kingdom. The major areas of settlement for the Irish population are London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

Post-war immigration

The vast majority of the United Kingdom's ethnic minorities arrived after World War II.

The most important and significant cause of this was the passage of the British Nationalities Act 1948. By this act citizens of the Empire were allowed to migrate to the United Kingdom. Many people from parts of the then Empire arrived in Britain. The "Empire Windrush" was the first ship to arrive. It brought the first immigrants from the Caribbean and effectively began mass immigration into the United Kingdom.

Since the Windrush substantial immigration has come from the following ethnic groups:

Black British

Further information: [[:British African-Caribbean community, Black British]]

These originated mostly in several of the former British colonies in the Caribbean. The largest proportion of the Black Caribbean population in the UK are of Jamaican origin; others trace origins to smaller nations including Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Montserrat, Dominica, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana. Black-Caribbean communities exist throughout the United Kingdom, though by far the largest concentrations are in London, Birmingham and the broader West Midlands conurbation. Significant communities also exist in other population centres, notably Manchester, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool and Cardiff.

Also of note are African immigrants, who are predominantly from former colonies but also include refugees mainly from Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. Many students from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Cameroon continue to migrate as professional workers or students. In 2001 the Black Caribbean community numbered 565,876 and the total Black population was 1.2 million or 2.2% of the population.

Asians

Further information: [[:British Asian]]

These comprise Indians (originating primarily from Punjab and Gujarat), Pakistanis (originating primarily from Kashmir and Punjab), Bangladeshis (originating primarily from Sylhet), and a small number of Sri Lankans. They numbered 2,331,423 in the 2001 Census. This further subdivided to 1,053,411 of Indian origin, 747,285 of Pakistani origin, 283,063 of Bangladeshi origin, and 247,664 from other Asian origins. 2004 estimates show that the British Asian community is 2,799,700 including people of mixed White British and Asian British descent. There are Asians present in most towns and cities in the United Kingdom. The largest concentrations of Indians are to be found in west London, Leicester and the West Midlands. The largest Bangladeshi community is in east London. Pakistanis are more evenly spread through the country, with large concentrations in Birmingham, Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Chinese

Further information: [[:British Chinese]]

British Chinese are predominately of southern Chinese origin, in particular Hong Kong. The first significant immigration began during the 1950s and 1960s, followed by a further wave in the early 1980s and another in the mid-1990s prior to Hong Kong being incorporated into the Peoples Republic of China. In 2001 they numbered 247,403. Many students of Chinese origin study in the United Kingdom and since 2001 a substantial portion have chosen to remain increasing their numbers further. The newer arrivals have tended to come from across China. The Chinese are the fastest growing non-European ethnic group in the United Kingdom, growing at 11% per annum between 2001-2003. This growth comes almost exclusively from immigration.

Other groups

Italians
Main article: Britalian

Although Italians have had a presence in the UK for centuries, it was only after the Second World War that there was a large influx to the country. Many came for work, for study or when situations of political and economic turmoil back home forced them to leave. Many headed to the UK as an alternative to the US. They have left their mark on British life mainly through their food where Italian restaurants, bars & cafes are now commonplace. In the UK, British Italians are popularly known as "Britalians", a term coined by the UK-based Italian chef Antonio Carluccio.

Currently the Italian official records are accounting for 175,000 Italians living in the UK (115,000 just in the area served by the Italian Consulate General of London), but these figures are to be taken as a low estimate (not everyone register with the consulates, especially the short term or temporary residents).

Greek Cypriots
Main article: Greeks in Great Britain

Since it got its independence from Great Britain in 1960, Cyprus has seen many of its citizens emigrate to the United Kingdom for economical reasons and in search of a better life. The first influx of Cypriot immigrants to London and other UK cities was in the 1960s, and then, after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, an estimated 20,000 Greek-Cypriots fled to the UK. There are more than 100 Greek communities in Britain, with around 150-180,000 Greek speakers in London alone, 85% of those come not from the mainland but from Cyprus.

Turks & Turkish Cypriots
Main article: Turks in the United Kingdom

Many Turkish people sought refuge in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s and the number of Turkish immigrants has continued to increase. It is estimated that there are around 250,000 Turkish-speaking people in the UK, most of them in London. The most recent influx started soon after the military coup on the Turkish mainland by General Kenan Evren in 1980. The harsh repression that followed forced many people out of the country. Poets, artists, intellectuals, journalists, political opponents of the regime, but also simple people and a large proportion of Turkish Kurds. Even now, Kurds still leave Turkey and seek refuge in other countries, such as Britain.

Poles

See also: Polish Britons and Polish minority in United Kingdom

In the immediate post war period the Poles who had fought on from bases in Britain following their defeat by the Germans, were urged to return home by the British Government. Only about half of them did so, however, with the remainder (of about 250,000 people) staying on to form Britain’s Polish community. The Polish Resettlement Corps (1947-49) eased the transition from military to civilian life for the ex-soldiers and numerous dependants.

In the period 1991-2001, the number of Poles legally in Britain declined, but since Polish accession to the EU in 2004 this trend has reversed and figures from the Home Office reveal that 264,560 Poles registered to work in Britain between 2004 and 2006. The majority of these new Polish migrants to Britain are of working age (82 per cent aged between 16 and 34).

Mixed

See also: British Mixed

After the Second World War, the first established 'mixed communities' migrated to the UK, principally the Anglo-Indian and Anglo-Burmese communities, from India and Burma. They are now established and integrated communities within the UK. Over more recent years there has been substantial and increasing miscegenation between the various groups, resulting in a new group - Mixed. This group is relatively heterogeneous with Mixed - Black Caribbean/White British being the biggest single component. The Mixed group has the youngest demographic profile of any group, with half being under 16, and numbered 677,117 at the 2001 Census. Due to rapid growth the Mixed group is predicted to become the largest ethnic minority group by 2020.

Newer ethnic groups

In recent years there has been massive and sustained immigration into the United Kingdom from all sections of the globe.[2][3] This has created an exceptionally ethnically diverse population and it is likely that almost every major ethnic group in the world is present in Britain. London is often cited as the most ethnically diverse city in the world,[4] although other cities, most notably Toronto also claim this title. Major groups include:

  • Central & Eastern Europeans - Russians, Ukrainians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs & Slovaks,
  • Black Africans (who numbered 485,277 in 2001 but have now grown to outnumber the more established Caribbeans),
  • Middle Easterners & Arabs - Lebanese, Saudis, Jordanians, Yemenis, Egyptians, Moroccans, Algerians Iranians, Afghans, Armenians and Kurds),
  • Balkans - Albanians, Kosovars, Serbs, Croats, Slovenians,
  • Orientals - Filipinos, Japanese, South Koreans, Vietnamese, Thais, Malaysians,
  • Western Europeans - French, Germans, Dutch, Scandinavians, Portuguese, Maltese, Spanish and Gibraltarians
  • Other countries - Australians, New Zealanders, White South Africans, Cape Verdeans and Mauritians
  • Latin Americans (of which Brazilians, Colombians, Chileans & Cubans make up the largest number).

Demographic transition

The period from 1948 has seen a dramatic change in the ethnic make-up of the United Kingdom. Non-Whites have grown from a few thousand in 1951 to 4,600,000 in 2001. The total number of ethnic minorities (including whites from ethnic minority groups) in 2001 was 6,751,689.

The indigenous population is in numerical decline, falling by 100,000 between 2001-2003, whereas the non-indigenous population grew by an estimated 500,000.[5] Since 2003 this pattern of alternate decline and growth will have accelerated. The process seems likely to continue, leading to the eventual replacement of the indigenous population with the newer groups. [6] [7] [8] [9]

Even conservative predictions, assuming an upturn in white birthrate and downturn in immigration, envisage whites as a whole being a minority around 2085 with the indigenous component a minority probably around 2065. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). [10] [9] Some leading demographers contend that this ethnic transformation could be regarded as a ‘third demographic transition’ [6] [9]

Due to the uneven spread of ethnic minorities throughout the country this transition will affect urban areas first. The indigenous population is due to be a minority in Leicester, London and in Birmingham by the time of the 2011 census.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] This would make the United Kingdom, in effect, the most ethnically diverse nation in the world after the United States.

Multiculturalism and integration

The United Kingdom has traditionally followed a policy of multiculturalism. Due to the rapidity of ethnic transition in the United Kingdom there has been concern in some quarters about the success of the various groups in integrating with one another.[18][13][19][20]

In 2005 the Commission for Racial Equality published a report entitled Citizenship and Belonging : What is Britishness?, to examine the way in which British people of different ethnic backgrounds thought about Britishness. The Commission reported that:

“As White people involved in the study were asked to talk about Britishness, many immediately and spontaneously changed the topic of discussion slightly talking instead about a perceived decline in Britishness. This happened in all focus groups with White people. They attributed the decline to four main causes: the arrival of large numbers of migrants; the ‘unfair’ claims made by people from ethnic minorities on the welfare state; the rise in moral pluralism; and the failure to manage ethnic minority groups properly, due to what participants called political correctness.”

And that:

“Most White participants were distressed by this perceived decline in Britishness. They felt victimised and frustrated and many anticipated that social unrest would become inevitable.”[21]

Race riots

Since the beginning of mass immigration there have been a number of race riots, the most prominent being:

2001 Census

According to the 2001 Census, the ethnic composition of the United Kingdom was:

Ethnic group Population % of total*
White British 50,366,497 85.67%
White (other) 3,096,169 5.27%
Indian 1,053,411 1.8%
Pakistani 747,285 1.3%
White Irish 691,232 1.2%
Mixed race 677,117 1.2%
Black Caribbean 565,876 1.0%
Black African 485,277 0.8%
Bangladeshi 283,063 0.5%
Asian (non-Chinese) 247,644 0.4%
Chinese 247,403 0.4%
Other 230,615 0.4%
Black (others) 97,585 0.2%
* Percentage of total UK population

Census forms

There have been recent calls for the 2011 national census to include extra tickboxes in Category "A" (in addition to the current tick boxes for "British", "Irish", or "Any other White background"), as there have been claims of racial discrimination by some Welsh, English, and Cornish people. [22] [23] There was some confusion due to the fact that one first had to deny being British, by crossing out the British option, and then writing "Welsh", "English", or "Cornish" in the "Any other" category. The Office for National Statistics recognises that many people want to distinguish themselves as Welsh, English or Cornish and not just "British" in the 2011 census and is considering adding extra tickboxes for this purpose.[24] [25] There has also been some concern that a large number of second generation Irish people did not read the instruction to 'indicate your cultural background' and believed that they must answer 'British' (or 'Scottish' in Scotland) rather than 'Irish' because of their birthplace."

References

  1. ^ Norman Davies, The Isles A History 1999 ISBN 0-333-69283-7 'The first major modern influx of foreign immigrants (into the British Isles) was that of the East European Jews in the period 1885-1905. Fleeing the poverty of the pale of Jewish Settlement in the Russian Empire, as well as fear of persecution, Yiddish speaking Jewish immigrants arrived in a sudden uncontrolled flood, quickly transforming the East End of London and similar districts in other major cities into predominantly Jewish districts.....Their numbers - perhaps a hundred thousand - caused the British Government to pass the Aliens Act 1906'. (page 822)
  2. ^ BBC[1]
  3. ^ BBC [2]
  4. ^ Guardian [3]
  5. ^ Telegraph [4]
  6. ^ a b Immigration and ethnic change in low fertility countries - towards a new demographic transition. Coleman and Scherbov 2005 Abstract: [5] PDF: [6]
  7. ^ Phillip Rees - Estimating international migration at regional scale for ethnic groups in the United Kingdom (2005). "Conclusion(s) - The process of ethnic change proceeds a steady pace: Europes third demographic transition."
  8. ^ Guardian [7]
  9. ^ a b c Population and Development Review [8]
  10. ^ The Guardian [9]
  11. ^ The Guardian
  12. ^ Land and People
  13. ^ a b The Times Cite error: The named reference "Times Segregation" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Leicester[[Commission for Racial Equality]]". {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  15. ^ UK poised to have first White-minority cities, The Times of India
  16. ^ Birmingham Post 2 November 2006 -[10]
  17. ^ Prof Richard Scase - “Birmingham is set to have a black and ethnic majority in the make-up of its population by 2010.”Birmingham Post 2 November 2006 [11]
  18. ^ BBC[12]
  19. ^ BBC [13]
  20. ^ BBC [14]
  21. ^ The decline of Britishness: a research study
  22. ^ Cornish demand 2011 Census tick box
  23. ^ Mebyon Kernow Support the campaign for a Cornish tick-box
  24. ^ Cornwall Council data on Cornish identity
  25. ^ 2011 Census tick-box for "English" and "Welsh" national identity

See also

External links

Template:UK Census: White British

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