The white working-class response to ethnic diversity
The white working-class response to ethnic diversity within Britain is the subject of a new study
The white working-class response to ethnic diversity within Britain is the subject of a new study being conducted by Professor Eric Kaufmann and Dr Gareth Harris, in partnership with the think tank Demos.
Professor Kaufmann and Dr Harris will be exploring the idea that typical white working-class responses to ethnic change in England and Wales can be categorised as ‘exit’, ‘voice’ or ‘accommodation’.
‘Voice’ is manifested as a rise in ethnic nationalist voting and anti-immigration sentiment and ‘exit’ as outmigration from, or avoidance of, areas of high ethnic diversity. However, once the ethnic minority population in an area reaches a certain threshold these initial responses may give way to ‘accommodation’ in the form of decreased ethno-nationalist voting, reduced anti-immigration sentiment and lower white outmigration.
Professor Kaufmann said: “We will ask the policy-relevant question: do residential integration and minority acculturation calm or fuel white working-class exit and voice? In other words, does contact improve ethnic relations or do ‘good fences make good neighbours’?”
The project, funded by a £200,000 grant from the Economic and Social Research Council, will include quantitative data analysis and focus groups.
Find out more about this project.