WHITE BRITISH

'White British' was an ethnic classification used in the 2001 census. 50,366,497 people (85.7% of the population) in the UK described themselves as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: "White Scottish" and "Other White British"^[1]. As such, a single "White British" choice only existed in the census in three of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom - England, Northern Ireland and Wales - but the two subcategories used in the census in Scotland are grouped within "White British" for the purposes of UK-wide statistical analysis.

Contents

Demographics

Population

Employment

Religion

Households

Origins

See also

References

Demographics

Population

The White British census group have their ages more evenly distributed in their population pyramid and have the highest percent female population of all ethnic groups. About 64% percent of the White British group are between the ages of 16 and 64 while about 19% percent are under 16 and 19% percent are over 64. All other census groups have a higher percentage of their population under 16 and a lower percentage over 64. White British are 41% percent male and 59% percent female, making them have the lowest percent male population among all census groups defined as "ethnic" in the census. ^[2]
As a general rule, White British people make up the largest percentage of the population in rural areas, although there are a few large cities that are almost exclusively white, particularly in Northern Ireland, North East England and Scotland. London contains by far the lowest percentage of White British people of all the UK regions, with White British people actually being in a minority in much of London. The city with the lowest percentage is Leicester. Slough is also comparable to Leicester, whilst not being a major city. Outside London, the highest densities of non-white groups are found in Greater Birmingham, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, South Yorkshire, the larger cities of the East Midlands and satellite-towns of London, such as Luton. There are also significant numbers of non-white people in most major British cities, while the far northern, western and eastern rural fringes of the UK contain the largest percentage of White British people anywhere in the UK.

Employment

White British have a lower self-employment rate and lower percent in managerial or professional occupations compared to all ethnic groups. White British are about 13% percent self-employed with Irish 16% percent self-employed. White British with 27% percent have a slightly lower percent of their population in managerial and professional positions compared to all ethnic groups. Among White British, Irish with about 35% have a greater percent of their population in managerial or professional positions.^[3]
White people in the United Kingdom are the most employed and economically active among British. The White British have the lowest unemployment rate among all ethnic groups in the United Kingdom. The census group White British have unemployment rates of about 4% percent with less unemployment for women. Smaller White ethnic groups who marked "Other White" have a slightly higher unemployment rate. ^[4] White British have the lowest rates of economic inactivity i.e. not working and/or not looking for work. White British have an economic inactiviy of 20% percent with higher rates for women. Among White British, the smaller White ethnic groups who marked "Other White" have a slightly higher economic inactiviy. ^[4]

Religion

Statistically, white people in the United Kingdom are slightly more Christian than other ethnic groups. White British are 75% Christian, while the percentage for all ethnic groups is a little less than 75%. About 17% of the White British group reported having "no religion". The 17% percent figure for "no religion" is about the same for all ethnic groups. About 7% percent of the White British group declined to state any religion. ^[6]

Households

White people in the United Kingdom have a average household size smaller than comparable census groups, with an average of 2.3 people per household.^[7]
According to Dr. Erini Flouri, White British boys have less social behavior than British Indians who attended the same school in South England. The White British girls in the study have a similar social adjustment compared to British Indian girls. Unlike the British Indians in the study, the White British children attribute their social adjustment difficulties to less parental involvement.^[8]

Origins

A 2006 study at Oxford University has found that the genetic marker R1b is the most common haplogroup in all parts of Britain and represents a similar Y-chromosome "fingerprint" with the people of Northern Iberia (Spain and Portugal). It is believed that the indigenous people of the British Isles are descendants at least in part of Paleolithic Iberians who crossed the Bay of Biscay 6,000 - 10,000 years ago.^[9]
This study and others have been recently reiterated by some authors with books like Brian Sykes' ''Blood of the Isles'', Stephen Oppenheimer's ''Origins of Britons'', and Spencer Wells' ''Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project'', all indicating an ancient relationship among the peoples of Atlantic Europe.

See also

★ Briton

★ Cornish people

★ English people

★ Irish people

★ Scottish people

★ Welsh people

References

1. http://www.cre.gov.uk/diversity/ethnicity/whitebritish.html
2. National Statistics. "Age/Sex Distribution". 2001. August 18, 2001. .
3. National Statistics. "Employment Patterns". 2004. August 18, 2006. .
4. National Statistics. "Ethnicity and Identity". 2004. August 18, 2006. .
5. National Statistics. "Ethnicity and Identity". 2004. August 18, 2006. .
6. National Statistics. "Religion". 2001. August 18, 2006. .
7. National Statistics. "Households". 2001. August 18, 2006. .
8. Flouri, Erini. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Volume 10, No. 1. 2005. August 19. 2006. .
9. .