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On Tuesday 14 July, Demos launches the Ethnic Attitudes and Identities chapter of the Demos Integration Hub – for the first time, bringing together the leading research into the changing attitudes and identities of Britain’s increasingly diverse population.

This chapter will join the Hub’s existing analysis of Residential Patterns, Work and Welfare, Education and Society – building a much more complete picture of the ways in which the UK’s ethnic and cultural make-up is evolving over time than ever before.

Some of the interesting findings of the Attitudes and Identities chapter include:

There is broad consensus on the rights and responsibilities we should share as Britons: 

89.1% of White British people say they value freedom of thought, conscience, and religion – compared to 90.1% of Indians, 91.5% of Pakistanis, 88.5% of Black Africans, and 88.5% of Black Caribbeans

 Ethnic minorities hold a desire for greater integration:

Roughly three quarters of non-white ethnic minorities think their ethnic group should make an effort to mix with White people

There are strong differences between ethnic minorities’ views on religion, gender and sexuality:

79.2% of ethnic minorities identify themselves with a religion, compared to 64.9% of the White British.

38.4% of Muslims believe husbands should work and wives should stay at home; this compares to 11.1% of the non-religious and 18% of Christians.

Religion does affect our choices of schools, housing, and where we work

For White Christians, 15% say religion affects their choice of where they live; 8% say religion impacts on where they work; 27% say it will affect their choice of schools 

In comparison, 33% of Muslims say religion affects where they live; 25% say it affects where they work; 22% say it affects their choice of schools

The Attitudes and Identity chapter will launch at integrationhub.net on Tuesday 14 July.

Commenting on the launch, lead analyst for the Demos Integration Hub, Dr Richard Norrie, said:

“The United Kingdom is an increasingly diverse place to live in, bringing together not only many different cultures and ethnicities, but also many different identities and sets of beliefs. It is the ambition of any society to create strength and cohesion from this diversity, and improving understanding between cultures is critical to achieving this.

“As the Demos Integration Hub has previously shown, there are some areas in the UK where high levels of residential and school segregation persist – and these findings certainly reveal some important differences of opinion relating to religion, gender, and sexuality amongst ethnic groups. However, we do also see some encouraging trends: firstly, that the younger generations are leading the way in terms of tolerance and liberal attitudes, and also that most people – regardless of their backgrounds – do ultimately want the same things from life, and are prepared to accept the same responsibilities.”

Access the Demos Integration Hub at www.integrationhub.net