Ethnicity and immigration

The UK has a multi-ethnic population, but we know minority groups can face inequalities throughout the life course. Understanding Society helps researchers investigate the distinctive experiences of majority and minority ethnic groups.

Using Understanding Society to research ethnicity

Enabling research on ethnicity and immigration was one of the orginal aims of Understanding Society. The Study has four key elements that enable the extensive research of ethnicity and immigration in the UK:

• An emphasis on ethnicity-related questions in the main survey.
• An ethnic minority boost (EMB) sample of over 6,000 adults from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and Black African groups.
• A subsequent immigrant and ethnic minority boost (IEMB) sample of additional respondents from the five target ethnic groups in the EMB, plus a sample of immigrants from other groups.
• An additional five minutes of questions with an ethnicity focus, which are asked to ethnic minority participants and a general population comparison sample. The questions are chosen in consultation with researchers and stakeholders and the Ethnicity Strand Advisory Committee.

Understanding Society gives an unprecedented opportunity to study issues of continuity and change within and across the UK’s ethnic and immigrant populations. The Study enables analysis of inequalities in health, employment, housing and environment, of identity formation and change, and of family, work and mobility transitions over time and generations. These data allow researchers to investigate whether, how and why individuals from different ethnic backgrounds have different life outcomes. Research like this can help policy makers better understand the complexity of the current population and to identify those factors that drive inequalities.

“The large sample size of Understanding Society makes it possible to explore ethnic minority experiences in depth. We interview over 35,000 adults (16 years and older), year after year, and this includes around 9,000 people from ethnic minority backgrounds.”

Dr Alita Nandi, Associate Director of Outreach and Senior Research Fellow.

What data do Understanding Society collect?

All survey participants are asked questions about their families, jobs, education, income and wealth, health and wellbeing, and attitudes, values and beliefs. They are also asked questions about their ethnic group, country of birth, parents’ and grandparents’ countries of birth, parents’ ethnic group, national identity and childhood language. The additional five minutes of questions posed to ethnic minority and immigrant participants and a general population comparison sample cover areas such as harassment and discrimination, identities and cultural practices, and further detail on employment context.

Access the ethnicity data

The entire survey data can be downloaded directly from the UK Data Service. These data files contain all variables, including those resulting from the ethnicity-related questions and the extra five minute questions. The data files include responses from all participants, including ethnic minority participants. Data on ethnic miniority and immigrant boost samples, or ethnicity-related variables are not made available separately. You may find it useful to read the Ethnicity and Immigrant Research user guide.