Understanding Population Trends and Processes Ethnicity Integration

The theme of this volume is ethnicity and the implications for integration of our increasingly ethnically diversified population. New research findings from a range of census, survey and administrative data sources are presented, and case studies are included. The ethnic composition of Britain’s population is changing rapidly as the 21st century progresses. Some commentators predict a catastrophic future of increasing ethnic segregation and community breakdown, whereas others say that the benefits of ethnic pluralism and cultural diversity will lead to a more integrated society. This book addresses many of the key issues and debates associated with ethnicity and integration in Britain. It provides the reader with an enhanced understanding of ethnic population change and residential concentration, ethnic household dynamics, internal and international migration, the relationship between ethnicity and health, crime, identity and language, as well as ethnic population projections. Collectively, the findings presented here constitute an evidence base for policymakers and practitioners to draw upon when formulating solutions to the range of problems at local, regional and national level that are associated with an increasingly multi-ethnic society. This book is the third volume of the interdisciplinary series entitled ‘Understanding Population Trends and Processes’. Volume 1 reports the findings of research on fertility, living arrangements, care and mobility, whilst Volume 2 contains selected studies of spatial and social disparities in Britain using various secondary data sets. Robustandforensicanalysisofrelevantdatasupportedbyscienti?cmethodologies is key to challenging contemporary debates around the use and abuse of race statistics.Controversiessurroundingthecollection,interpretationanduseofrace, ethnicityandethnicgroupdatahavealonghistory.BeingrootedinEugenics,this area of study has sparked intense reactions over the years. The abuse of 'race' statisticsisnotonlyapparentduringtimesofuncertaintybuthasbeenentrenchedin social policies and political discourses in Britain since the 1950s. The collection of research studies in this book is therefore much needed and timely, not least becauseofrecentdebatessurroundingthenatureandinteractionsofminorityethnic populationsinBritain. The numbers game is not new in British political discourses but took a nasty turnpost9/11andpeakedpost7/7 withdiversitybeingnegativelyassociatedwith concernsinrelationtopopulationsegregation,communitycon?ictsandterrorism. This book effectively debunks several myths and misinterpretions pertaining to populationdiversity,spatialdensityandthenatureofsocialrelationshipsbetween minority and majority groups. More importantly, armed with scienti?c evidence, it challenges the claim that spatial segregation along ethnic and racial lines is necessarily an indication of community tensions, social fragmentation and communitycon? icts. Despite the obvious bene?ts of valid and reliable data on population diversity for understanding social change and improving social conditions, there was little appetiteonthepartoftheBritishGovernmenttoformallycollectnationalstatistics onethnicityuntil1991.Notwithstandingthis,thechaptersinthisbookdemonstrate thatdatafromthe1991and2001Censusescan,despitetheirlimitations,provide Kay Hampton (BA Hons, MA, PhD, FRSA, FHEA) is Professor in Communities and Race Relations at the Glasgow Caledonian University. She was Chair, Deputy Chair and Scottish Commissioner on the Commission for Racial Equality (2003-2007) and Commissioner on the EqualityandHumanRightsCommission(2006-2009).SheiscurrentlyaCommissionerforthe ScottishHumanRightsCommission. 1 ThebombingsoftheTwinTowersinNewYorkon9September2001andtheLondonbombings on7July2005. v vi Foreword useful baseline statistics for conducting in-depth, analytical studies in contested areasof'race'andethnicity.