A new study reveals that 30% of Brits admit to harbouring some level of racial prejudice, leaving the lows of the early noughties behind.
New data from NatCen Social Research’s British Social Attitudes survey shows that 30% of Brits describe themselves as either “very” or “a little” prejudiced against people of other races. This figure marks a return to previous levels seen before an all-time low in 2001 of 25%, suggesting little headway in tackling racial prejudice over the last 10 years.
NatCen’s survey finds variation by region, age and education level:The area least likely to self-describe as racially prejudiced are Inner London (16%) and the area most likely, the West Midlands (35%);Levels of racial prejudice also rise with age: 25% of 17-34 year olds, in comparison to 36% of over-55s;Education had an impact, too: 19% of those with a degree and 38% of those with no qualifications reported racial prejudice.
Just over 9 in 10 of those who admit to some level of racial prejudice would also like to see a reduction in the current level of immigration, in comparison to around 7 in 10 who say that they’re not prejudiced at all.
Penny Young, Chief Executive of NatCen Social Research commented:
“The findings are troubling. Levels of racial prejudice declined steadily throughout the nineties, but have been on the rise again during the first decade of this century. This bucks the trend of a more socially liberal and tolerant Britain. Our local and national leaders need to understand and respond to increased levels of racial prejudice if we are to build strong local communities”