Britain 'a racist society' - poll

More than half of Britons believe they live in a racist society, a major survey on race relations has suggested.

The opinion poll commissioned by BBC News Online also found that 44% of those asked believe immigration has damaged Britain over the last 50 years.

But the ICM study goes on to suggest that most whites, blacks and Asians agree society is more racially tolerant than a decade ago.

The survey, part of a major BBC News Online series on race relations in the UK, also indicates widespread support for plans to introduce citizenship classes and English lessons for people applying to live in the UK.

It reveals that racism in the workplace is a major problem - with almost one in three blacks and Asians saying they believe racism has cost them the chance of a job.

Click here to go to our full special report

But it also suggests widespread acceptance of mixed-race relationships.

Half of all those asked say they would marry or have a relationship with someone from another race.

Tolerant

And when asked how they would feel if their child married someone from another race, most said the most important thing would be that they had found a loving partner.

	Is Britain racist? More than half the people who took part in our poll thought so. What do you think? Click here to have your say.

The opinion poll, weighted to include the views of whites, blacks and Asians in the UK, is one of the largest surveys on race conducted in recent years.

More than half of each group said they feel that Britain is now more tolerant racially than it was 10 years ago.

But of all those questioned, 51% said they felt Britain is a racist society. That view was shared by 52% of whites and 53% of blacks.

Among Asian respondents, 41% said they believe Britain is racist compared with 45% who rejected the suggestion.

Meanwhile, 47% of whites said they felt immigration had harmed society in the last 50 years, compared with 28% who felt it had benefited Britain.

And almost two-thirds of whites said they believe immigrants do not integrate or make a positive contribution to Britain.

On the idea of English lessons and citizenship classes for "anyone not familiar with the British way of life and living full-time in the UK", 78% of all those asked agreed with the proposals.

On employment, 40% of blacks and 34% of Asians said they have come across racism at work.

Gurbux Singh, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), said the poll showed a "mixed response" from the public on race.

Victims

He said: "Many of us agree that Britain is a modern multi-racial society, and welcome that. Yet, at the same time we think racism is on the increase.

From Marks and Spencer to the Mini motorcar, some of the most famous symbols of British success have come from people who were refugees and immigrants

Gurbux Singh
Chairman, CRE

"Ethnic minority respondents were more likely to feel they were the victims of racial discrimination than whites, showing very clearly the differences in their experiences of living in Britain to the majority of the population."

But he said there were also positive findings from the survey, such as the 53% who said they had friends from different racial backgrounds.

He said the most worrying findings were the suggestion from some that immigrants do not make a positive contribution to Britain.

"This is a worrying finding and simply belies the facts," he said. "Britain has been collecting different cultures, skills and people for centuries.

"From Marks and Spencer to the Mini motorcar, some of the most famous symbols of British success have come from people who were refugees and immigrants."

'Positive light'

He urged Britons to learn about "the history of immigration in Britain, and the positive impact it has made to our nation".

He added: "We must start a new, more positive debate about immigration.

"Let us be clear about the benefits, and correct and shape public debate in that far more positive light."

A Home Office spokesman said: "This is clearly a very important report and we look forward to studying it in detail."

He said officials and ministers would be keen to study the findings of the ICM poll and make a detailed response.

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Race UK, a BBC News Online special report, runs from 20 - 31 May. Come back to the site daily for more features and analysis. Or, bookmark http://www.bbc.co.uk/race.

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Notes on polling data:

Between 7 -11 May ICM Research interviewed 1,576 people aged 18 and over.

The interviews were conducted face-to-face and quotas were used to ensure that at least 500 interviews were conducted with people from white, black and Asian backgrounds.

The data collected was then weighted to bring it into a balance with a national profile of all adults. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 3%.

However this margin increases when the answers are based on smaller groups within the total sample. For example, when just Asian people are mentioned or when other individual groups are extracted from the total number of people asked.