British, English, Scottish – who do you think you are?
In England, people of Pakistani origin feel more British than members of the white population, according to a new survey, whereas in Scotland a sense of British identity is much weaker.
It is a startling statistic that demands some explanation. Muslims living in the UK feel more British than their white counterparts, writes Andrew McFadyen.
A new report from the Institute for Social and Economic Research asked 40,000 households a series of questions, including how important, on a scale of one to 10, being British was to them.
People of Pakistani origin scored the highest with an average of 7.76, while the white population scored lowest with an average of 6.58.
Dr Alita Nandi, who will present the research next week, said: “Our research shows that people we might assume would feel very British, in fact do not – while others who we might assume would not associate themselves with feelings of Britishness, in fact do.”
The reports authors believe the results disprove suggestions that ethnic groups are unable to integrate into British society. They also highlight some important differences between different parts of the UK.
British versus English
Britishness has been successfully promoted as an open identity that is multi-cultural and multi-ethnic – but it is important to ask why people from ethnic minorities almost never describe themselves as English. It is still perceived as an ethnic identity.
Labour leader Ed Miliband touched on this in a recent speech when he said: “We were too nervous to talk of English pride and English character. Connecting it to the kind of nationalism that left us ill at ease.”
North of the border, Scottishness trumps Britishness, even among ethnic minorities.
He did not say it so bluntly, but Mr Miliband’s concern is that for too long English national identity has remained the preserve of racists.
The debate is different in Scotland where British identity is much weaker than in other parts of the UK.
According to the report, if there are two persons who are exactly similar in every respect other than country of residence, then the person living in Scotland is predicted to report a Britishness score that is 1.04 points lower than a person living in London.
North of the border, Scottishness trumps Britishness, even among ethnic minorities.
Questions of identity
Professor John Curtice, from Strathclyde University, told Channel 4 News: “In Scotland, Scottishness has been sold as a multi-cultural identity and it does not have the same association with xenophobia as Englishness.”
In Scotland, Scottishness does not have the same association with xenophobia as Englishness. Prof John Curtice
Scotland’s most prominent Asian MSP, Humza Yousaf, says that questions of identity have become more fluid and unrestricted –
“Take my own example. As an Asian Scot born in Glasgow to a father from Pakistan and a mother from Kenya, I went on to marry my wife, Gail, who is a white Scot born in England to an English father and Scottish mother.
He adds: “I would challenge anyone to accurately define the identity of any children we may have in the future. Will they be a quarter Scottish, a quarter Pakistani, a quarter English?”
Independence debate
The ability of Scots from all ethnic backgrounds to share in some version of Scottish national identity is also a crucial factor in the debate about independence.
In the 1980s and 1990s, to say that you were Scottish was not a statement of ethnicity, but of political identity. Academics say cutbacks and reforms to the welfare state weakened the idea of Britain as a national community.
The SNP see an opportunity to present independence as the best way to reflect both Scottish identity and Scottish policy priorities.
The best answer from those who want to keep the UK together may be to show that Englishness can also be open and progressive.
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