WIREDGOV

Figures from the 2011 Census show that 4.6 million minority Britons (45% of the minority population) were living in these areas, defined as those where less than half of the population are white British.

Looking at the white population more generally (including non-British whites), about 41 per cent of ethnic minorities (4.1m people) live in wards that are less than half white. This compares with only around 1 million (25% of the minority population) living in white minority areas at the last Census in 2001.

Demos researchers attribute this mainly to white British people choosing not to move to minority-dominated areas, in what Trevor Phillips has described as ‘majority retreat’. In these areas, departing white British are replaced by immigration or by the natural growth of the minority population. Over time, the end result of this process is a spiral of white British demographic decline.

The minority dominated areas are generally multi-minority, since new minorities (i.e. Somalis) take up housing vacated by established minorities (i.e. Afro-Caribbeans). This means a dissipation of ethnic concentrations, but also an increase in the number of people who have limited contact with white British people.

The research also reveals a positive side to the story, with ethnic minorities spreading out more into white-dominated parts of the country. Ethnic minorities are becoming less rare in rural and provincial England: there are now fewer than 800 wards (out of a total of 8,850) that remain over 98 per cent white compared with more than 5,000 in 2001.

The findings are part of an ongoing Demos project looking at the extent of ethnic and cultural integration in Britain. Previous research has shown ethnic minorities feel more politically empowered than white Britons, and also feel a greater sense of pride in being British.

Eric Kaufmann, a professor at Birkbeck College who carried out the detailed analysis, said:

“These results present a mixed picture. While ethnic mixing and integration is being helped by more minority people moving into England’s whitest areas, the most concentrated minority areas are just becoming more so.

“This is essentially due to a large increase in the ethnic minority population in its areas of concentration over the past ten years due to natural growth and immigration. This trend has outpaced minorities’ wider spread across the country.”

Trevor Phillips, former Chair of the Equalities Commission and Demos Associate, said:

“This very interesting piece of research reveals a number of vital findings about how people in England and Wales are living together. First, it shows a kind of ‘Ambridge effect’ – a welcome minority advance into areas previously only the preserve of the white majority.

“It also demonstrates a greater degree of ethnic mixing within cities, although unfortunately this appears to be mostly between minorities. What ought to make us a little anxious is the ‘majority retreat’ it has unearthed – white people leaving minority-led areas and not being replaced – which isn’t good news for the cause of integration.”

David Goodhart, Director of Demos, said:

“The greater concentration of the ethnic minority population means there is less opportunity for interaction with the white mainstream. One problem with this relates to employment. Most jobs come through knowing someone, and most of those hiring for good jobs are from the white majority.

“A growing population which is geographically separate and has limited familiarity with majority cultural codes or connection to majority networks may find its occupational mobility reduced. Canadian studies, for example, show that immigrants in cities with larger immigrant shares of the population (i.e. Toronto, Vancouver) perform less well against the national average than immigrants in smaller, less diverse cities.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Mapping Integration project hosted by Demos is led by Trevor Philips and aims to discover how well integrated communities are across the UK. Contact max.wind-cowie@demos.co.uk for more information.

An established method of looking at diversity in England and Wales is to take the ethnic minority population, divide it into five equal parts, or quintiles, and see how it is distributed across the roughly 8850 wards in the country.

Read the complete analysis here.

David Goodhart, Eric Kaufmann and Trevor Philips are available for comment.

For further interview or comment please contact Rob Macpherson on the details below.

MEDIA CONTACT

Rob Macpherson       
rob.macpherson@demos.co.uk
07554 424 137