EIGHTY per cent of ethnic minority Britons agree that living in the UK is preferable to living in the USA, Germany, or France as an ethnic minority.
A new research report called ‘Why the Windrush matters today’ published today (7) by British Future*, an independent think tank. It says there is a lot more work to do to achieve racial equality.
The report is published in advance of the 75th anniversary of the Windrush’s arrival in Britain on 22 June.
Only 10 per cent of respondents from ethnic minorities disagree with the statement that “Black and Asian people face discrimination in their everyday lives in Britain today,” while 67 per cent do.
The report draws on fresh polling by Focaldata** and a number of discussion groups.
Sunder Katwala, director of British Future and co-author of the report said: “The Windrush 75th anniversary is an important moment to honour the pioneers of this history.
“It should now be seized as a chance to imagine our future too. Britain has changed for the better in these 75 years, but we must also focus on the progress we still need to see on race. Committing now to an ambitious agenda for change in the quarter-century to come would be a fitting legacy.”
The study discovers a fair public perception of the racial progress made and the progress still required.
In the previous 25 years, the UK has achieved substantial progress on racial equality, according to 71 per cent of people (seven in ten people) and 68 per cent of ethnic minorities.
The public as a whole and 80 per cent of ethnic minorities concur, however, that “The UK needs to make much more progress on racial equality in the next 25 years.”
Black respondents agreed with this last statement most strongly, with 87 per cent stating much more development is required.
Patrick Vernon, Convenor of the Windrush 75 network, said: “The Windrush is black history, and it is British history, the story of how our society came to look as it does today and why we all have a stake in it. It is something that all our children should learn about at school and something that all of us can celebrate.
“It is also history that we must take care not to lose as the Windrush generation sadly passes away. We should act now to capture and preserve their stories, engaging the next generation so they understand their heritage.”
Over half of the population (57 per cent) believes that “UK political and media debate on questions of race has become more divisive in the last 10 years.”
A less contentious discussion of race is welcomed by two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents, including 61 per cent of respondents who identify as ethnic minorities.
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of the public and 70 per cent of people from ethnic minority backgrounds concur that “We would make more progress in tackling racial inequality if we focused less on arguments about language and more on practical action”.
Tougher laws against online hatred were the top priority for the general public, as indicated by 47 per cent of respondents, while people from ethnic minorities preferred a focus on equal opportunities in employment, as indicated by 51 per cent of respondents, if the government were to set a “net zero by 2048” target.
*British Future is an independent, non-partisan think tank.
**Focaldata is a consumer analytics and public opinion polling startup.
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