FYI
The Times new iGeneration Poll
LONDON, September 13/PRNewswire/ —– The Times iGeneration Poll Reveals 88% of 18-30 Year Olds Would
Marry Someone of a Different Race but Young Asians Less Likely– Two Thirds of Young Black People Believe Britain to be a Racist County
– More Than Half do not Attend Church
The second wave of results in The Times’ iGeneration survey of 18 to 30 year olds reveals that young Britons want more immigration, have close friends who are a different colour to them and would almost all be prepared to marry someone from a different race. But the latest results, published in the paper tomorrow (14 September), also reveal sharp differences in attitudes between racial groups.
While 88% of 18 to 30 year olds say they would marry someone of a different race, this drops to 54% among Asian respondents. White people (90%) and black people (85%) are much more likely to say that they would enter into a mixed race marriage. Young Asians are also less likely to agree that new immigration into Britain is good for the economy and society. Forty-four percent of Asians agree with this statement compared with 78% of black people and 51% of white people.
The Times’ wide-ranging survey conducted by Populus into the attitudes and views of 18 to 30 year olds shows that multiculturalism has become much more a way of life for young Britons. Eighty-one percent have a friend who is a different race or colour from them and the younger the person, the more likely they are to have friends from different races or colours. While 77% of 28 to 30 year olds had friends from a mix of backgrounds, this rose to 88% for 18 to 20 year olds. The findings are in marked contrast to a recent survey by the Commission for Racial Equality across all age groups, which found that nine out of 10 white Britons have no or hardly any ethnic minority friends.
While whites and Asians believe Britain is a generally more progressive, inclusive place, the young black respondents took a far more negative view. Among the black people surveyed, two thirds said they believed Britain to be a racist country and only a third are proud to be British.
The study also reveals that churchgoing is no longer a part of Sunday for Britain’s young people, even though most are prepared to confess to a belief in the afterlife. More than half of Britain’s young people have not attended a religious service since childhood. More than one in 10 have never been to a religious service which further dampens the Church of England’s hope of reversing its inexorable decline in attendance.
The Times is running the results of the iGeneration poll from Monday 13 September to Thursday 16 September. Times readers can Join the Debate in the paper and online by emailing their comments to igeneration@thetimes.co.uk. Times Online will feature the series in full at www.timesonline.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
Populus interviewed a random sample of 1,004 adults aged 18-30 by
telephone between August 13-22 2004. Interviews were conducted across the
country and the results have been weighted to be representative of all 18-30
year-olds.Source: The Times
For further information please contact: Krista Goodman at Town House Publicity on +44(0)7711-985-338 or Oliver Wright on +44(0)7909-926-109
This entry also posted at tmanewsletter and A Mixed Blog.