4
ISSUES: Racial & Ethnic Discrimination
Chapter 1: Racism & discrimination
talked about, and 60% believe that
racial discrimination is common in the
UK. The message is that even if it is
less socially acceptable, discrimination
on grounds of race has not yet been
consigned to the history books.
More than half (58%) of ethnic
minorities say that they have been a
victim of racial discrimination, while
47% say they have received racially
motivated abuse.
One in seven (14%) Muslims and
10% of Hindus frequently face racial
discrimination, compared to a handful
of ethnic minorities who are Christians.
This suggests that some groups are
still targeted more than others, and
the data at least, should lead us to re-
examine the issue of Islamophobia in
Britain.
Racial discrimination is still a
problem facing many in Britain
Racial discrimination and abuse is
mainly being perpetrated by strangers
(64%) as opposed to others known
directly to the victims. The most
common forms of discrimination or
abuse reported by victims support
the notion that it is the invectives and
prejudices of strangers that affect
ethnic minorities the most:
Ö
Insulted directly – 47%
Ö
Receiving end of racist jokes or
insults – 40%
Ö
Receiving
end
of
racist
stereotyping – 40%
Ö
Treated differently in public places
(e.g. shops/restaurants) – 38%.
Although the political weather
has changed much in 20 years, the
authorities are still seen by some as
a source of prejudice. A fifth (20%) of
all Black Britons report being viewed
with suspicion by the police, and
we’ve seen from earlier studies that
their trust in the police is lower than
amongst White Britons.
Many still feel their job
prospects are affected by their
race
More than a quarter (28%) of victims
selected their colleagues as a source
of racial prejudice, and 22% said the
same about their management or
their boss.
In total, 14% of all ethnic minorities
report being denied a job or interview
because of their race, and 13% report
being turned down for a promotion.
White Britons don’t see
the difficulties that ethnic
minorities feel in securing jobs
in the key professions or in
politics
The problems that face minorities in
the workplace extend to how they
perceive many of the high profile
professions in the UK. Many ethnic
minorities feel there are several
professions closed off to them
including the police (18%), law (16%)
and banking (15%).
This problem is particularly acute in
politics. More than a third (37%) of
ethnic minorities think that the role
of prime minister is barred to them,
while 23% think this about a career in
politics more generally.
In total, two thirds (63%) of ethnic
minorities think that there are
occupations or professions closed
off to them, rising to 71% amongst
the younger generation (aged 18-34).
However, White Britons as a whole
do not share this pessimism, with
only 28% believing that there are
still professions closed off to ethnic
minorities in the UK.
Proportion of ethnic minorities who don’t feel a part of British culture
Source:
A question of identity and equality in multicultural Britain
,Opinium,August2016
By age
By household income
18–34 35–54
55+
Up to
£20,000
£20,001
to £30,000
£30,001
to £50,000
Over
£50,001
29%
14%
25%
31%
24%
22%
15%
Which occupations or professions do you think are ‘closed off’to ethnic minorities?
Prime Minister
Politics
Police
Law
Banking
White Britons
Ethnic minorities
Source:
Aquestionof identityandequality inmulticulturalBritain
,Opinium,August2016
15%
37%
9%
23%
9%
16%
9%
9%
16%
15%
