Patterns of Prejudice

Debbie Weekes-BernardHead of Research

Social mixing and contact

• Quality of contact is important, but also social and political narrative as well as structural inequality

• The characteristics of those mixing are important

• The space in which mixing occurs is also important

- British Social Attitudes Survey- Generation 3.0- School Choice & Ethnic Segregation

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Can narratives change attitudes?

Yes, but often only temporarily

• The British Social Attitudes Survey reported that the percentage of people who describe themselves as prejudiced has risen since 2001

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Key Narratives…

contribute to increases in racial prejudice:

•Immigration•Islamophobia•Austerity

For example there is a relationship between those more likely to hold racially prejudicial attitudes and their view on immigration

• 92% of those who report having some racial prejudice think immigration should be reduced compared to 72% of those reporting no prejudicial attitude.

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And characteristics?

• Those more likely than others to report the holding of prejudicial attitudes are men, from both un and skilled manual occupations,.

 • However the narrative effects of austerity/unemployment are

that an increase in unemployment by 1% leads middle aged highly educated men in full time employment to self-report an increase in prejudicial attitudes by 4.1 percentage points. (Johnston & Lordan, 2014)

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Why is location important?

• 54% of Londoners have a more positive view of immigration in comparison to 28% in the rest of the UK.

• London itself is an area which is clearly superdiverse - 37% of those living in the city of London were born outside of the UK, which compares to 13% across England and Wales and in the European elections held earlier this year, UKIP support in the city was poor.

• But the West Midlands, in which Birmingham is situated, has high numbers of those reporting prejudicial attitudes – 35% compared to a national figure of 25%

• The West midlands however has high rates of unemployment and even in Birmingham, outside of the city centre social mixing very rarely takes place 7

Generational?

• “Young people don’t feel the difference. Older generations still feel like we’re the foreigners in this country” Sudarshan, 70

• Runnymede work in Birmingham – fine until events were held in Handsworth.

• Handsworth Wood – Black Caribbean, 16%; Asian 51.5%• East Handsworth & Lozells – Black Caribbean 21.9%, Asian 60.1%• Birmingham – White British 53.1%, Pakistani 13.5%, Indian 6%,

Black Caribbean 4%

• Unemployment high at start of recession in Ladywood, Sparkbrook & Small Heath (Danny Dorling 2007)

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Social mixing• ethnic communities are becoming less, not more segregated

and minority ethnic groups are becoming less concentrated – those of African descent for example are very dispersed

• schools were more ethnically segregated than the geographical areas they were situated in

• Increased choice of school enables ‘flight’ to occur – parents who can afford to do so move away from a minority ethnic ‘other’ – parents and children with English as a second language, ethnically segregated schools, diverse geographical spaces

• Parents from low socio-economic backgrounds choose local schools – where these schools are situated in urban, ethnically diverse areas, often these schools will include high proportions of minority ethnic pupils schools

• Black children currently travel the furthest of all children to attend school, often in schools that are majority white, perceived to be ‘better’ but which are not necessarily so. 9

Recommendations

• Mixing, and contact is important as is the quality, the frequency, the characteristics of the individual mixing and the place in which mixing occurs.

• Catchment areas for schools should be changed regularly to reflect both ethnic and social mixing where possible, as migration, both international and within the UK, changes the make-up of neighbourhoods and affects the composition of pupil populations.

• Generational contact is also important – older individuals from settled communities learn much from younger people, particularly where this youth is found within their own families. New attempts at enforced mixing (social activities etc) may not necessarily be as successful for older groups, but are not impossible

• Urban areas can both promote and hinder mixing ie London and Birmingham. Additional structural inequalities affect both opportunities for mixing but also attitudes towards others. Unemployment, skills etc are barriers. 10