www.communities.gov.uk

Citizenship Survey: April - June 2007, England and Wales

Published 4 October 2007

This release provides headline findings from the first quarter of the 2007-08 Citizenship Survey, covering April - June 2007. The release is divided into three sections covering active and empowered communities; community cohesion; and racial prejudice and discrimination. The background notes section provides more details about the Citizenship Survey as well as definitions of terms used in this release.

Download the tables from this release below:

1. Active and empowered communities (England)

Volunteering and civic participation

  • In April - June 2007, 73 per cent of all adults had volunteered (formally or informally) at least once in the last 12 months, with 48 per cent having volunteered at least once a month. 
  • Overall levels of volunteering have not changed since 2001. However, levels of formal volunteering have risen over this period, whilst informal volunteering has declined.
  • Forty-three per cent of people from groups at risk of social exclusion participated in voluntary activities at least once a month, which represents no statistically significant change since 2001 (41 per cent ) 
  • Forty per cent of people engaged in civic participation (1) at least once in the past year, and 3 per cent engaged in civic participation at least once a month.
  • Women were more likely to volunteer regularly than men, with 53 per cent of women volunteering at least once a month compared to 42 per cent of men. 

Influencing decisions

  • In April - June 2007, 37 per cent of people felt they could influence decisions in their local area and one-fifth (20 per cent) of people felt they could influence decisions affecting Great Britain. These proportions remain unchanged since 2005 and 2003, although they have fallen since 2001. 
  • White people are less likely to feel they can influence decisions at the local level than people from minority ethnic groups (37 per cent compared with 45 per cent).  White people are also less likely to feel they can influence decisions affecting Great Britain (19 per cent compared with 31 per cent). 

Volunteering and civic participation

In April - June 2007, 73 per cent of adults in England had volunteered and 40 per cent had engaged in civic participation at least once in the 12 months prior to interview.  Levels of informal volunteering were higher than formal volunteering, with 63 per cent volunteering informally compared to 45 per cent volunteering formally in the last 12 months.

Overall levels of volunteering (formal and informal) have not changed since 2001. However, levels of formal volunteering have risen (from 39 per cent to 45 per cent) whilst informal volunteering has fallen (from 67 per cent to 63 per cent) over this period. Levels of civic participation have not changed since 2001.

Levels of regular activity were lower, with 48 per cent of adults having volunteered and 3 per cent having engaged in civic participation at least once a month in the 12 months prior to interview. Again, levels of regular informal volunteering were higher than formal volunteering: 35 per cent compared to 27 per cent. Current levels of regular volunteering remain unchanged from those in previous years. 

In April - June 2007, 43 per cent of adults from groups at risk of social exclusion had participated in voluntary activities at least once a month, in line with levels in 2001, 2003 and 2005. As with the overall population, levels of informal volunteering (34 per cent) were higher than formal volunteering (22 per cent) among those at risk of social exclusion (Figure 1). 

Participation in volunteering (formal and informal) at least once a month, 2001 to April - June 2007

There were some differences in volunteering between ethnic groups.  Black African (31 per cent), White (29 per cent), Black Caribbean (28 per cent) and Indian (27 per cent) people were all more likely to volunteer formally on a regular basis than those from the Pakistani (14 per cent) or Bangladeshi (12 per cent) groups.   

A similar pattern was observed for informal volunteering with 42 per cent of Black African people informally volunteering regularly, compared with 24 per cent of Bangladeshi and 23 per cent of Pakistani people (Figure 2). 

Women were more likely to volunteer regularly than men.  Women had higher rates than men for both regular formal volunteering (31 per cent women, 24 per cent men) and informal volunteering (40 per cent and 30 per cent respectively). 

Participation in volunteering (formal and informal) at least once a month by ethnicity, April - June 2007
 

Influencing decisions

In April -June 2007, 37 per cent of people in England agreed that they could influence decisions in their local area and one-fifth (20 per cent) of people felt they could influence decisions affecting Great Britain. These proportions remain unchanged since 2005 and 2003, although they have fallen since 2001 when the figures were 44 per cent and 25 per cent respectively (Figure 3).

Whether people feel able to influence decisions affecting their local area and Great Britain, 2001 to April - June 2007    

Black and South Asian ethnic groups were more likely to agree that they could influence decisions in their local area than White people. Black Caribbean people were most likely to feel able to influence decisions affecting their local area (51 per cent), whilst White people were the least likely (37 per cent). The pattern for influencing decisions affecting Britain was similar: 36 per cent of Bangladeshi, 33 per cent of Pakistani and 33 per cent of Black Caribbean people felt they could influence decisions, compared to 19 per cent of White people (Figure 4).  

Whether people feel able to influence decisions affecting their local area and Great Britain by ethnicity, April - June 2007

2.  Community cohesion and belonging (England & Wales)

Cohesion

  • In April - June 2007, 81 per cent of people agreed that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. This is not a statistically significant change from 2005 (80 per cent). 
  • Perceptions of cohesion are most positive among those aged 75 and over (90 per cent).  
  • Indian people are more likely to agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together than White people (87 per cent compared with 81 per cent).

Belonging

  • Eighty-five per cent of people feel they belong strongly to Britain with a slightly lower percentage (77 per cent) feeling they belong strongly to their neighbourhood. 
  • The percentage of people who feel they belong strongly to their neighbourhood (77 per cent) has increased since 2003 (71 per cent). 
  • Pakistani and Indian people are more likely to feel that they belong strongly to their neighbourhood than White people who in turn are more likely to feel a strong sense of belonging than those from Mixed race and Chinese/other groups.

Cohesion

In April - June 2007, 81 per cent of people agreed that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. This percentage has not changed since 2003. There was no difference between men and women in their perceptions of cohesion and neither group had seen a change since 2003. 

The proportion of people who agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together is generally higher in the older age groups, increasing to 90 per cent of those aged 75 or over. Cohesion is lowest among those aged 25-34 years (70 per cent; Figure 5). 

Proportion of people who agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together by age, Apriil - June 2007 

There has been little change since 2003 in perceptions of cohesion across different age groups. The exception is the youngest age group (aged 16 - 24), where the proportion of people who agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together has increased from 73 per cent in 2003 to 82 per cent in 2007.

Overall, there is no statistically significant difference between the proportions of people from minority ethnic groups (84 per cent) and White people (81 per cent) who agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. There is also little variation in perceptions of cohesion across individual ethnic groups. The exception to this is Indian people (87 per cent), who are more likely to feel that people from different backgrounds get on well in the local area than White people (81 per cent). Perceptions of cohesion have not changed much over time among ethnic groups, again, with the exception of Indian people where there has been an increase in perceptions of cohesion from 81 per cent in 2003 to 87 per cent in 2007. 

Belonging to neighbourhood and to Britain

In April - June 2007, 85 per cent of people felt they belonged strongly to Britain with 45 per cent saying they felt they belonged very strongly.  A slightly lower proportion (77 per cent) felt they strongly belonged to their neighbourhood, with 36 per cent feeling they belonged very strongly. The proportion feeling they strongly belonged to their neighbourhood has increased since 2003 (71 per cent). 

Older people are more likely than younger people to feel a strong sense of belonging to their neighbourhood. Ninety per cent of those aged 65 - 74 and 87 per cent of those aged 75 and over felt a strong sense of belonging, compared to 72 per cent of those aged 16-24 and 69 per cent of those aged 25 - 34. 

Feelings of belonging to one's neighbourhood vary between different ethnic groups. Pakistani (85 per cent), Bangladeshi (83 per cent) and Indian (83 per cent) people are most likely to agree that they belong to their neighbourhood, compared with 77 per cent of White people. Feelings of belonging to the neighbourhood are lowest among the Chinese/other group (62 per cent) but this group contains a wide range of different ethnicities (Figure 6).

Proportion of people who feel they belong strongly to their neighbourhood by ethnicity, April - June 2007   

As with feelings of belonging to the neighbourhood, feelings of belonging to Britain are generally stronger amongst older people compared with younger people. Those aged 75 and over are most likely to feel a strong sense of belonging to Britain (92 per cent) while 25 - 34 year olds are the least likely to feel a strong sense of belonging (79 per cent). 

Whilst feelings of belonging to the neighbourhood differ across ethnic groups, there is only very limited variation in feelings of belonging to Britain by ethnicity.  The exception is the diverse Chinese/other group who are less likely to feel they belong strongly to Britain (72 per cent) than Bangladeshi (91 per cent), Indian (89 per cent), Pakistani (87 per cent), Black Caribbean (85 per cent) and White (84 per cent) people (Figure 7).

The proportion of people who feel they strongly belong to Britain by ethnicity, April -June 2007

 3.  Racial prejudice and discrimination (England and Wales)

  • Since 2001 the proportion of people from minority ethnic groups who feel that they would be treated worse than other races by the police and the prison service has declined (from 27 per cent to 23 per cent and 21 per cent to 15 per cent respectively).
  • Twenty-nine per cent of people from minority ethnic groups feel that they would be treated worse than other races by one or more of the five criminal justice system (CJS) (2) organisations. This is lower than the proportion in 2001 (33 per cent).
  • Thirty-five per cent of people from minority ethnic groups feel that they would be treated worse than other races by at least one of eight public service organisations. (3) This is not a statistically significant decrease from the 2001 figure of 38 per cent although it indicates a downward trend.  
  • Twenty-four per cent of people from minority ethnic groups who have been refused a job feel that it was for reasons of race, which has remained unchanged since 2003.
  • Among people from minority ethnic groups who have been treated unfairly with regard to promotion or progression, 57 per cent feel that it was for reasons of race. This shows no statistically significant change since 2003. 

Racial prejudice

  • Over half (56 per cent) of all people feel that there is now more racial prejudice in Britain than five years ago, which is an increase from 2005 (48 per cent).
  • People from minority ethnic groups are less likely than White people to feel that there is now more racial prejudice in Britain compared with five years ago.

Organisational discrimination

In April - June 2007, the majority of people from minority ethnic groups did not consider that they would be treated worse than people of other races by the five criminal justice agencies, and very few people considered that they would be treated worse by schools or GPs. The organisation considered to be discriminatory on the grounds of race by the largest proportion of people from minority ethnic groups is the police (23 per cent), followed by the Prison Service (15 per cent).  Local GPs and local schools are least likely to be seen as discriminatory by people from minority ethnic groups (5 per cent and 6 per cent respectively). This is in line with results in previous years, although the proportions thinking the police and the prison service are discriminatory have decreased since 2001 (Figure 8). 

There has been little change in the proportion of White people who feel they would be treated worse than those of other races by these eight organisations since 2001, with the exception of the prison service, the probation service and housing organisations. Perceptions of discrimination by the prison service and probation services both fell from 4 per cent to 2 per cent, while perceptions of racial discrimination by council housing departments or housing associations rose from 15 per cent to 24 per cent. Council housing departments or housing associations are also the only organisation where perceptions of racial discrimination are higher among White people than they are for people from minority ethnic groups. 

Proportion of people from minority ethnic groups who feel they would be treated worse than other races by public service organisations, 2001 and 2007 (April - June) 

Labour market discrimination

Overall, the most frequently specified reason for why people felt that they had been turned down for a job in the last five years was because of their age (20 per cent).  However, among people from minority ethnic groups, the most frequently specified reason was their race (24 per cent), followed by colour (19 per cent) and then age (18 per cent). The proportion of people from minority ethnic groups feeling they have been turned down for a job because of their race is unchanged from 2003 (24 per cent). 

Since 2003, the overall proportion of people who feel they have been discriminated against with regards to promotion or progression has fallen from 12 per cent to 9 per cent. The most frequently specified reason for being treated unfairly at work with regard to promotion or progression was gender (25 per cent), followed by age (20 per cent). However, for people from minority ethnic groups, race and colour were the most frequently specified reasons (mentioned by 57 per cent and 47 per cent of people respectively). There has not been a statistically significant change in the proportion of people from minority ethnic groups who have been treated unfairly with regards to promotion or progression who feel that this was for reason of race since 2003 (46 per cent). 

Racial prejudice

Although the overall proportion of people who feel that racial prejudice has got worse in Britain over the last five years has increased since 2001, from 43 per cent to 56 per cent in 2007, this masks a growing difference between the perceptions of White people and those from minority ethnic groups. Just under a third (32 per cent) of people from minority ethnic groups feel there is more racial prejudice than five years ago, a proportion that has not changed statistically significantly from 2001 (31 per cent). In contrast, in 2007, 58 per cent of White people feel that there is more racial prejudice today, compared to 50 per cent expressing this view in 2005, 49 per cent in 2003 and 44 per cent in 2001 (Figure 9). 

Perceptions of racial prejudice by ethnicity, 2001 to April - June 2007 

Amongst minority ethnic people, Pakistani people are the most likely to think racial prejudice has got worse over the last five years (49 per cent), followed by people of Mixed Race (37 per cent), Indians (34 per cent), Bangladeshis (28 per cent), Black Caribbeans (26 per cent) and Black Africans (22 per cent). 

Amongst White people, those living in wards where more than 5 per cent of the population are from minority ethnic groups (4) are less likely to feel that racial prejudice has got worse in Britain over the last five years (52 per cent) than those living in less diverse areas (60 per cent). 

In terms of age, young people have more positive views regarding racial prejudice than older people, with 41 per cent of people aged 16-24 saying prejudice has increased compared with 65 per cent of 65 - 74 year olds.  

Endnotes

(1) Civic participation is defined as engaging in one of the following activities: contacting a local councillor, Member of Parliament, member of the Greater London Assembly or National Assembly for Wales; contacting a public official working for a local council, central Government, Greater London Assembly or National Assembly for Wales; attending a public meeting or rally; taking part in a public demonstration or protest; and signing a petition.

(2) The CJS organisations are the police, the prison service, the courts, the Crown Prosecution Service and the probation service. 

(3) The eight organisations looked at are the police, the prison service, the courts, the Crown Prosecution Service, the probation service, a council housing department or housing association, a local GP and a local school. 

(4) Based on the 2001 Census (ONS).

Background notes

Definitions of key terms

1. Criminal justice system organisations: These are the police, prisons, the courts, Crown Prosecution Service and Probation Service.

2. Community cohesion:  The key community cohesion indicator used is the proportion of people who agree that their local area (defined as 15 - 20 minutes walking distance) is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. 

3. Formal volunteering:  Giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit other people or the environment. 

4. Informal volunteering:  Giving unpaid help as an individual to people who are not relatives.

5. Civic participation: Engaging in one of the following activities: 

  • contacting a local councillor, Member of Parliament, member of the Greater London Assembly or National Assembly for Wales;
  • contacting a public official working for a local council, central Government, Greater London Assembly or National Assembly for Wales;
  • attending a public meeting or rally;
  • taking part in a public demonstration or protest; and
  • signing a petition. 

6. Groups at risk of social exclusion: Defined as those belonging to Black and minority ethnic groups, people with no formal qualifications or people who have a disability or limiting, long-term illness. 

Source of statistics

7. The Citizenship Survey, run by NatCen on behalf of the Race, Cohesion and Faiths Research Unit within Communities and Local Government, is a household survey covering a representative core sample of almost 10,000 adults in England and Wales each year. There is also a minority ethnic boost sample of 5,000 to ensure that the views of these groups are robustly represented. It asks about a range of issues including views about the local area, community cohesion, racial and religious prejudice and discrimination, values, interaction/mixing, political efficacy, civic engagement, volunteering and charitable giving.

8. The data are collected through a face-to-face interview. Since 2007, the survey has moved to a continuous design, allowing the provision of headline findings on a quarterly basis. This statistical release is based on first quarter (April - June) data, which is made up of 2,156 core interviews and an additional 1,255 interviews with people from minority ethnic groups.  

9. The data are weighted to correct for unequal sampling probabilities and non-response by sub-group. The weighting ensures that the sample matches the census population figures in terms of their age, sex and regional distribution. 

10. Headline findings will be made available each quarter through a Statistical Release. Once a year, a set of detailed reports based on the entire annual dataset will be published, which will examine all the findings in more detail. Anonymised data will be available to download through the University of Essex Data Archive (www.data-archive.ac.uk).

Notes on analysis and data presentation

11. For most measures, the core sample provides more robust estimates than the combined core and minority ethnic boost sample, so tables are based on the core sample unless the data is presented by ethnic group, when the combined sample is used. 

12. The tables relating to community cohesion and racial prejudice and discrimination refer to England and Wales, whereas the tables relating to active and empowered communities relate to England only. This reflects the coverage of policy responsibilities. 

13. Where changes over time have been reported in this statistical release, these reflect the availability of data for individual questions. The Citizenship Survey was first carried out in 2001, but some questions covered by this release, notably those on cohesion and belonging, were not introduced until 2003. 

Public Service Agreement targets

14. The Citizenship Survey is used to measure components of three Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets. PSAs are targets for what each government department is supposed to deliver by way of improvements in public services in return for investment. They highlight key policy priorities and are an integral part of the Government's spending plans.  The PSA targets that are measured by the Citizenship Survey are:

Communities and Local Government PSA10: The Race element of this PSA target will be met by achieving a decrease in the number of people from Black and minority ethnic communities who perceive that they would be treated worse than people of other races by one or more key public services and a decrease in the number who think that they were turned down for a job or a promotion in the last five years on grounds of their race by 2007/8.  

Home Office PSA2e:  A decrease in the percentage of people from Black and minority ethnic communities who perceive that they would be treated worse than people of other races by one or more criminal justice system agencies by 2007/8. 

Cabinet Office PSA4: The element of this PSA target measured by the Citizenship Survey is for an increase in the levels of voluntary activity by individuals from groups at risk of social exclusion by 2007/8.

The final outcomes for these PSAs will be measured using the full annual dataset from the 2007/8 Citizenship Survey. 

15. This Statistical Release can be accessed and all text, tables and charts downloaded electronically, from the Communities and Local Government website.

16. Further details are available from Richard Tonkin, Communities and Local Government, Zone 6/J10, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU. Telephone 020 7944 5168. Email: citizenship.survey@communities.gsi.gov.uk. 

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