‘Desis’ feel more British than locals

London, June 30: British citizens with origin in India and Pakistan identify more closely with the idea of Britishness than their white counterparts, a new study says, countering the perception that immigrants do not integrate into British society.

The study Understanding conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, reveals that fears expressed by some groups about the negative impacts of immigration on the cultural identity of Britain

titled Society, may be considerably overstated.

The study which involved 40,000 UK households reveals that Indians, Black Africans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Middle Eastern Muslims associate most closely with Britishness.

In particular, Muslims from a Pakistani background, often said to associate more strongly with Pakistan than to Britain, are revealed in the survey as quite the reverse.

The researchers also point to the significant numbers of White British people who feel little or no

The study reveals that Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis associate most closely with Britishness

association with “being British”.

Dr Alita Nandi, one of the researchers, said: “There is a huge emphasis in public and policy dis- course on immigration and its potential challenge to cultural homogeneity and national identity.

“Our research shows that people we might assume would feel very British, in fact do not while others who we might assume would not associate themselves with feelings of Britishness, in fact do.”

She added, “Many people seem to manage dual identities, and it is interesting to note that in all the ethnic groups we looked at, British identity increases from generation to generation, while within the majority white population many maintain strong non-British identities, such as Scots or Welsh”.

The study also revealed that White, Chinese and Afro-Caribbeans associate least closely with Britishness, while identification with Britishness is found to be higher among the children and grandchildren of migrants.

The study of the socioeconomic circumstances of people living in UK households was supported by 11 government departments and administrations.

— PTI