British Social Attitudes Survey: Racism on the Rise

Data released by The Guardian newspaper on 27th May 2014 reveals there is more self-reported racial prejudice in Britain than there was a decade ago. The information is gleaned from the NatCen Social Research’s British Social Attitudes survey which annually asks over 3,000 people what it's like to live in Britain and how they think Britain is run. The British Social Attitudes survey has been carried out annually since 1983 and is the longest running survey with over 90,000 people having taken part in the study so far. The Guardian reported that the “proportion of Britons who admit to being racially prejudiced has risen since the start of the millennium, raising concerns that growing hostility to immigrants and widespread Islamophobia are setting community relations back 20 years.”

Self-reported prejudice

The BSA survey data shows different levels of prejudice stemming from age, class and gender, with older men in manual jobs most ready to admit to racial prejudice. A fascinating picture also emerges in the self-evaluation of men and women. As with almost all indicators of prejudice, this data finds that men are more likely to describe themselves as racially prejudiced than women. However, that gap has closed significantly over the past decade with the number of men admitting prejudice falling from 37% in 2002 to 32% in 2013. Over the same period, the figure for women has risen from 25% to 29%.

The BSA survey data shows wide variance in levels of prejudice throughout the UK. In combined figures for 2012-13, 16% of people questioned in inner London admitted to racial prejudice. Outer London and Scotland emerged as the next most tolerant areas, at 26% and 25% respectively. Other regions – including Wales – hovered around the 30% mark. The West Midlands emerged as the place with the highest level of self-reported prejudice at 35% – a difference deemed statistically significant.

Attitudes to immigration

Inevitably, issues of prejudice are closely linked with attitudes to immigration. New findings from NatCen Social Research’s British Social Attitudes survey show that 77% of the public want to see a reduction in immigration and a significant increase in the number who want immigration reduced “a lot”, up from 51% in 2011 to 56% in 2013. However, despite concern about unemployment rates, falling wages and spending cuts, and high profile debates over migration from Romania and Bulgaria, fewer people now than in 2011 think immigration is bad for the economy – 47% in 2013 compared with 52%.

The figures reveal some of the complexity surrounding public attitudes to immigration, with many people who believe immigration to be good for the UK also expressing concern about its current level. 54% who see immigration as good for the economy and 55% of those who see it is as culturally beneficial also want to see immigration reduced.

Penny Young, Chief Executive, NatCen Social Research said “British Social Attitudes shows that public desire for a cut in immigration to the UK had begun to rise even before the restrictions on migrants from Romania or Bulgaria were lifted at the start of the year. Moreover, a majority of people who think immigration is good, economically or culturally, for the UK still want to see it cut. These findings highlight the complexity of this issue for politicians facing two elections in 18 months and with limited options if they want to attempt to reduce migration from Europe. The public broadly agrees that immigration is too high, but there are stark social divisions over the economic and cultural benefits of immigration."

A socially and politically divisive issue

Social divisions in the level of concern about migration and its effect complicate the picture for politicians.

There are significant differences across party lines, with the issue particularly divisive for the Labour party – 40% of Labour party supporters think immigration is bad for the economy but 36% believe it is good for the economy, and while 40% think immigration is bad for British culture 41% see it as good for British culture.

Supporters of the two parties in government are also a long way away from each other on this issue; 52% of Conservatives believe Britain’s cultural life is undermined by immigration into the UK compared with 20% of Liberal Democrats.

Those expressing the most positive views of immigration are graduates, 60 per cent of whom think immigration is good for the economy compared with 31% of the population as a whole; and the highest earners (48% of whom think immigration is economically beneficial).

Immigration is least popular among people with few or no qualifications, 85% of whom want to see a decrease, and people in higher grade manual jobs, 88% of whom want a reduction. But while the highest earners and people in professional occupations are more positive about immigration, both middle and low earners hold very similar views both on the level of immigration and on its impact.

Dr Rob Ford, Lecturer in Politics, The University of Manchester said “The new British Social Attitudes data on immigration attitudes reveal a complex picture for policymakers. On the one hand, concern about migration levels remains intense, and with UKIP gaining ground by holding out the prospect of drastic cuts in migration, politicians from all the mainstream parties will face intense pressure on the issue.

On the other hand, the public remain more evenly divided about the effects of migration, despite the emotive debates about Romania and Bulgaria. This suggests many voters recognise there are positive effects to migration, and may be swayed by arguments about the negative social and economic consequences of drastic cuts. However, with public trust in all parties' competence on the issue at all time lows, the first task for policymakers will be to restore voters' faith in their ability to manage migration”.

About NatCen’s British Social Attitudes survey

The NatCen Social Research British Social Attitudes survey has been conducted annually since 1983. Since then around 90,000 people have taken part in the survey. The 2013 survey consisted of 3,244 interviews with a representative, random sample of adults in Britain, carried out between June and October 2013.

Click here to download NatCen data on self reported racial prejudice.