Discovering frequent floor. Melitas/Shutterstock

What do you consider your neighbours? And what do they consider you? Issues round growing division and polarisation within the UK have persevered stubbornly for the reason that EU referendum in 2016. We hear so much from lecturers, politicians and journalists a couple of supposedly fractured nation. However how divided is Britain? Our new report – the most important research of attitudes to range in England and Wales – provides some fascinating perception.

The report, printed by the Woolf Institute, offered findings from a survey performed by Survation of greater than 11,000 adults that requested a sequence of questions regarding ethnic, nationwide and spiritual range. Has range been good for Britain and to your area people? How would you are feeling if a detailed relative married somebody from a unique ethnic, nationwide or spiritual background? How various are your folks and workplaces?

Our statistical evaluation revealed that spiritual intolerance – corresponding to antisemitism and Islamophobia – is an even bigger driver of prejudice than ethnicity or nationality. Knowledge from the survey strongly means that faith is probably one of many final prejudices individuals are comfy expressing brazenly.

And in accordance with our knowledge, spiritual range stays the least common type of range. When requested the query above about marriage, non-Muslim respondents have been least comfy a couple of shut relative marrying a Muslim individual. Attitudes between religion teams additionally are usually much less optimistic than between ethnic teams.

Perspective in the direction of interfaith marriage with a Muslim companion amongst least comfy within the research.

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Our findings additionally revealed that folks in work are usually extra optimistic in the direction of range and extra more likely to have various friendship teams than each unemployed and economically inactive folks.

One huge concern is that COVID, lockdowns and dealing from dwelling threaten folks’s alternatives to come across others and distinction within the office.

Common attitudes

However what about common attitudes in the direction of range among the many public? Right here the info supplied an intriguing puzzle.

On the one hand, attitudes in the direction of range are largely optimistic. Pondering nationally, a majority throughout the survey agreed that ethnic range is nice for British society. Greater than twice as many agreed than disagreed that migrants are good for British society. Actually, and regardless of the explosiveness of points round immigration, migrants appeared extra common than spiritual range. Pondering extra regionally, practically two thirds agreed that ethnic range is nice for the local people and majorities agreed that migrants and spiritual range are good for it. That’s the excellent news.

Alternatively, 60% agreed that the variety of migrants in Britain has elevated too shortly within the final ten years. Over twice as many agreed than disagreed that ethnic and spiritual range has elevated too shortly. When it comes to native communities, a majority agreed that will increase within the variety of migrants have been too fast.

Our report describes this as an “rising nationwide consensus”. However what kind of consensus are we speaking about? Over a 3rd of those that expressed an opinion and agreed that ethnic range is nice for Britain additionally agreed that it has elevated too shortly. So, a majority suppose range is an efficient factor however round a 3rd of that majority suppose issues are transferring too shortly. In different phrases, one giant group of people who find themselves optimistic about range is made up of two smaller teams – one optimistic about change, one much less so.

Reaching a brand new consensus

For a lot of, this third of people that suppose range has elevated too shortly represents an issue. Teachers and journalists are much more more likely to be extremely educated, liberal and cell (“anywheres” somewhat than “somewheres”). It’s unsurprising that opposition to alter from these much less educated, much less liberal and fewer cell is seen as problematic. That mentioned, defining adverse attitudes to native change – small-c conservatism – as types of hostility or bigotry is unlikely to convey totally different teams again collectively anytime quickly.

However there could also be one other means. Maybe the info are telling us one thing hopeful about doable routes out of divided and divisive circumstances and away from additional polarisation. Nobody single argument, and particularly none round race, ethnicity or immigration, will enchantment to everybody. However, as earlier stories have advised, maybe consensus is achievable.

Take anti-racism, it has turn into a strong pressure in British politics, with mainstream buy-in (footballers taking a knee earlier than video games, for instance). This, and our knowledge, counsel a public in tune with racial equality.

What our knowledge additionally counsel is that stronger types of activism could characterize the best method for some Britons who worth range, however not all. Points corresponding to institutional racism might be tackled extra successfully by recognising the frequent floor between folks whose life and worldviews are very totally different however who share the identical primary place – on this case, that range is an efficient factor.

That is the frequent floor on which large-scale societal change will be constructed, particularly round election instances. However to start out constructing, we have to loosen the necessities for ideological purity on these points. Doing so will assist us forge a broader consensus amongst those that share some, however not all, of our views.

The Woolf Institute acquired funding for this venture from a big respected European basis that has requested anonymity.