A quarter of English people still think you need to be white
Nearly a quarter of English people still believe that being white is an "important" part of being English, a new survey has revealed.
The number was lower than north of the border, where just 13% of Scots said being white was important to being Scottish.
The YouGov poll for think tank British Future found 52% of Scots thought having parents who were born in Scotland was an important factor. Being born in Scotland was considered even more important, with 73% saying it mattered to being Scottish.
"In the years since devolution Scotland and Wales have done more to create a more modern, inclusive pride in being Scottish and Welsh," said British Future director Sunder Katwala.
"But that is still evolving. That a slim majority still seem to think that having Scottish born parents makes you more Scottish shows that more needs to be done to create a fully inclusive identity."
Just three per cent of those aged 18-24 in Scotland thought it was important to be white to be Scottish, but the figure rose to 16% for the over-60s.
Thirty-one per cent of Scots said they felt Scottish, not British. Twenty-nine per cent felt equally Scottish and British, 26% felt more Scottish than British and five per cent more British than Scottish.
Of the English, 18% felt more English than British and 43% felt equally English and British.
Asked to rate the things that made them proud to be English, 89% of respondents mentioned the English language, 85% mentioned the Lake District, 80% mentioned the Queen and 86% mentioned Shakespeare.
The St George's flag continues to have overtones of racism and extremism to some people, according to 24% of respondents. Fourteen per cent said the same thing about the Union Jack.
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Tags:
- england ,
- racism ,
- scottish independence
