FINDINGS OF ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY REVEALED

The London borough of Brent was the most ethnically diverse

local authority area in England and Wales in 2001, while

diverse, according to new analysis published by the Office

for National Statistics.

Focus on Ethnicity and Religion

This new analysis of diversity is based on the likelihood that two

people at random will belong to different ethnic groups. In Brent

the likelihood was 85 per cent while in Easington it was 2 per

cent. Brent's predominant ethnic groups were White British (29

per cent), Indian (18 per cent), Black Caribbean (10 per cent),

Other White (9 per cent) and Black African (8 per cent).

The report, Focus on Ethnicity and Religion, brings together

statistics from the Census on the key demographic, geographic,

household and labour market differences between the main

ethnic and religious groups in Great Britain. It analyses factors

that contribute to these differences and shows new analysis on

ethno-religious groups, changes between 1991 and 2001, and the

diversity of different areas. Because of its large size the Census is

used for detailed analysis of small population groups.

Other analyses for England and Wales show that:

Harrow the most religiously diverse area

The London borough of Harrow had the highest religious diversity

in England and Wales in 2001, a 62 per cent chance that two

people at random would be from different religious groups.

Harrow's predominant religious groups were Christian (47 per

cent), Hindu (20 per cent), Muslim (7 per cent) and Jewish (6 per

cent).

Few areas had high ethnic or religious diversity

Fewer than one in ten (7 per cent) local authority areas had a

high level of ethnic diversity and just 3 per cent had high religious

diversity, defined as a 50 per cent chance that two people at

random will belong to different groups. Across England and

Wales, 87 per cent of the population were White British and 72

per cent were Christian.

Ethno-religious groups concentrated in different areas

Ethno-religious groups are made up of people who have both the

same ethnicity and the same religion. People from different ethnoreligious

groups tended to live in different areas of England and

Wales, for example Indian Muslims were more likely to live in the

North West region than Indian Hindus or Indian Sikhs (one in four

compared with one in twenty and one in fifty).

Unemployment rates highest for Black African Muslims

Unemployment rates varied between Muslims of different ethnic

groups. Black African Muslim men and women had some of the

highest unemployment rates in 2001, 28 per cent and 31 per cent.

In contrast unemployment rates among Indian Muslims were

lower at 11 per cent for men and 12 per cent for women.

High unemployment rates among UK-born ethnic minorities

In both the 16-24 and 25-39 age groups, unemployment rates

among UK born men and women from the Black, Bangladeshi

and Pakistani ethnic groups were more than twice as high as

those of White British men and women.

Analyses for Great Britain as a whole show that:

Home ownership rates fell most among South Asian

households between 1991 and 2001

Between 1991 and 2001 home ownership rates fell the most

among Indian households (from 82 per cent to 76 per cent),

Pakistani households (from 76 per cent to 67 per cent) and

Bangladeshi households (from 44 per cent to 37 per cent). Home

ownership increased only among White households, from 66 per

cent to 69 per cent.

Household size decreased by most among South Asians

It is well established that average household size fell between

1991 and 2001. However, the decrease was largest among the

South Asian groups, falling from 3.8 to 3.3 among Indian

households, from 4.8 to 4.1 among Pakistani households and

from 5.2 to 4.5 among Bangladeshi households. In comparison,

White household size fell from 2.4 to 2.3.

Black African and Bangladeshi households had some of

highest overcrowding rates

In 2001, 44 per cent of Bangladeshi and 42 per cent of Black

African households were overcrowded, 7 times the rate of

overcrowding among White British households (6 per cent).

Workless households with dependent children prevalent

among Bangladeshi and Black African groups

Over a third (34 per cent) of Bangladeshi and Black African

households with dependent children were workless (contained no

working adult) in 2001. Far fewer, around 1 in 6, White British

households with dependent children were workless (16 per cent).

Muslim households most likely to be workless

A third (33 per cent) of Muslim households with dependent

children contained no working adult in 2001, contrasting with

fewer than 1 in 7 (15 per cent) of Christian households with

dependent children.

Religious diversity among ethnic groups

Some ethnic groups are more religiously diverse than others. The

Indian group was the most religiously diverse ethnic group; its

predominant groups were Hindu (45 per cent), Sikh (29 per cent),

Muslim (13 per cent) and Christian (5 per cent). Pakistani and

Bangladeshis were among the least religiously diverse groups (9

out of 10 were Muslims).

Ethnic diversity among religious groups

Similarly, some religious groups were ethnically diverse. Muslims

were among the most ethnically diverse religious group, 43 per

cent were Pakistani, 17 per cent were Bangladeshi, 8 per cent

were Indian, 7 per cent Other White and 4 per cent White British.

Christians and Sikhs were the least ethnically diverse religions, as

more than 90 per cent of people from these religions belonged to

the same ethnic groups.