A third of British people admit to racial prejudice

 
       

  
  
   
       Credits:    JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images     Alt Text:    A member of the right-wing EDL (English Defence League)      

  
 
      
    Racism is 'on the rise' according to a new survey, which finds three in ten admit to feelings of prejudice     
 
        One-Minute Read  
    
    Wednesday, May 28, 2014 - 10:20am  
      Nearly a third of people in the UK are willing to admit to being "racially prejudiced", a proportion that has risen steadily since 2001, a new study has found. 
 Data from NatCen's  British Social Attitudes  (BSA) survey, published by  The Guardian , indicate that three in ten people in the UK describe themselves as prejudiced against other races. 
 The findings raise concerns that "growing hostility to immigrants and widespread Islamophobia are setting community relations back 20 years," The Guardian says.  
 The shadow justice minister, Sadiq Khan, said that the results of the survey indicate that racism is still a problem in the UK. "This is clear evidence that we cannot be complacent about racial prejudice. Where it manifests itself, it blights our society. Those in positions of authority must take their responsibilities seriously. It also falls to us to address the underlying causes".  
 Self-reported prejudice bottomed out in 2001, when only 25 per cent of people were willing to admit they were either "very or a little prejudiced". The figure grew steadily over the next decade, reaching a high of 38 per cent in 2011, matching the figure from 1987. 
 The data suggests that "racial prejudice has returned to the level of 30 years ago"  ITV  says. 
 Men are more likely to admit to prejudice than women — 32 per cent against 29 per cent — although the gap between the sexes has shrunk. The data also shows that "older men in economically deprived areas" are most likely to admit to prejudice.  ·   
       Society        Racism    Islamophobia    Immigration