A comprehensive survey of ethnic minority attitudes in Britain is released

On a scale from zero to 100, non-white British voters on average give the police a favourability score of 55 compared with 56 for whites – both significantly higher than for the monarchy at 48 to 46 respectively. Non-white graduates are more likely to feel negative about race relations in the UK than non-white non-graduates. And although Labour dramatically outperformed the Conservatives in July’s election among non-whites, the UK is virtually colour-blind on what the Tories got wrong: they neglected public services and allowed themselves to be associated with the rich and powerful and with incompetence. Such are the findings of a big new survey of ethnic minorities’ attitudes in Britain compiled by UK in a Changing Europe. It frequently confounds assumptions but in the end supports the finding of its lead researcher that “there is far more that unites Britain than divides it”. If as a snapshot it’s not that good at reflecting memory, UKICE’s director, Anand Menon, compensates with this searing account of his experience of racism, its retreat and its stubborn tendency to stick around.