PRESS CONFERENCE 10.30 AM, WEDS 21 MAY
| A landmark survey ethnic minorities shows that some minority groups still face serious disadvantage while others have caught up with the white population. |
The definitive million-pound survey shows that:
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| The fourth major survey of ethnic minorities in Britain, carried out by the independent Policy Studies Institute, together with survey specialists SCPR, shows that minority ethnic groups should no longer all be seen to be in the same position. The differences between minority groups are now as important as the black-white divide and some groups can no longer be considered economically disadvantaged. |
| Ethnic Minorities in Britain: diversity and disadvantage is the largest study of ethnic minorities ever carried out in Britain. It was based on detailed interviews with 5,196 people of Caribbean, South Asian and Chinese origin and 2,867 white people were also surveyed to provide a comparison. |
The study has extended the scope of race relations research by investigating several issues in new
ways. Among its key findings:
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| Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are living in serious poverty. The report found that 80 per cent live in households with incomes below half the national average. These two groups still face widespread housing problems, especially over-crowding. By contrast, African Asians and Chinese are more likely than whites to earn more than £500 per week and have unemployment rates as low as or lower than the general population. |
| Indian men are well-represented in professional and managerial occupations and although their average earnings have not caught up with white men's, the gap is narrower than it used to be. However, both Indians and Caribbeans are more likely to be in poverty than whites or Chinese. Half of Caribbean families with children are headed by a lone parent, increasing their risk of poverty and social exclusion. |
| Ethnic minorities are much more likely than white people to continue their education post-16. In the past, this was to catch up with the qualifications achieved by their white peers but increasingly now it is to pursue higher education. However, many black and Asian people are in worse jobs than white people despite having similar qualifications, and the education system is failing young black men and Bangladeshi and Pakistani men and women, who continue to be disproportionately without qualifications. |
| As the new government takes office, the PSI research team calls for the commitment to ethnic equality and social inclusion to be reaffirmed. In particular, future policy should address poverty among Pakistanis and Bangladeshis; disadvantage and alienation among young Caribbeans; and the glass ceiling' that leads to serious under-representation of all minorities in the top ten per cent of all jobs. |
| Tariq Modood, principal author of the report says: | |
| 'People who are not white in Britain are often conceived of as sharing similar circumstances. Yet this new study shows that the differences are just as important, and not confined to aspects of private culture. Some minority groups are upwardly mobile, and ethnic difference should not be equated with disadvantage. There is real racial disadvantage, but it cannot be tackled without studying the differing circumstances of minority groups.' | |
| Richard Berthoud, who led the research team, says: | |
| 'Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are easily the poorest group in Britain. They are significantly poorer than white pensioners. There are serious pockets of disadvantage in other minority groups too, especially among young men and women of Caribbean origin. Other results of the survey suggests that minority groups can and will achieve prosperity in multicultural Britain, but policies to address racial disadvantage are still urgently needed.' | |
| James Nazroo says: | |
| 'Ethnic variations in health are related to differences in socio-economic position. The analytical categories used in previous research ('Black' or 'Asian') are extremely misleading because they combine minorities with very different health profiles. Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Caribbeans have very poor health, while African Asians, Indians and Chinese are as healthy as white people.' | |
| Satnam Virdee says: | |
| 'Individuals from all ethnic minority groups suffer from racial harassment from those in their immediate neighbourhoods, at their workplace, by strangers in public places and by police officers. The survey suggest that as many as a quarter of a million people a year suffer harassment, if you include low level insults and abuse as well as the more serious attacks.' | |
| Jane Lakey says: | |
| 'Members of ethnic minorities are more likely than whites to live in run-down neighbourhoods and to say that crime is a problem in the local area. While housing conditions for all groups have improved over the last decade, many Pakistanis and Bangladeshis continue to live in seriously over-crowded accommodation, often with poor amenities. Caribbean and Bangladeshi households continue to be under-represented among owner-occupiers.' | |
ENDS
| A Briefing Paper is also available. |
| Contact | On | |
| Neil Churchill | 0171 468 2236 (office) | |
| 0374 756 920 (mobile) | ||
| Tariq Modood | 0171 468 0468 | |
| Richard Berthoud | 01206 872957 | |
| All of the authors can be contacted via Neil Churchill | ||
Notes for Editors
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