Ethnic diversity in UK social science and public policy research

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Ethnic diversity in UK social science and public
policy research

• Principal investigator on project Dr. Sarah
  Salway
• Workshop leader Dr. Peter Allmark, Sheffield
  Hallam University

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Introduction

• Ethnic diversity in UK social science and public
  policy research a consultation and development
  exercise to produce guidelines for sound
  scientific and ethical practice.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation

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Research team

• Principal investigator on project Dr. Sarah
  Salway (Sheffield Hallam University)
• Research team Professor George Ellison (St
  George's, London), Dr. Richard Tutton (University
  of Lancaster) Dr. Gina Higginbottom (University
  of Alberta), and Professor Kate Gerrish (SHU) Dr.
  Peter Allmark (SHU)

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Workshop aims

• To help participants clarify their own ideas and
  beliefs concerning ethnicity and social science
  research using discussion methods focused around
  vignettes
• To discuss whether guidelines for social science
  and public policy research would be a feasible
  and useful outcome of the JRF project.

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Workshop structure

• Brief background to the project
• Group work using vignettes

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Background to project

• 1. UK multi-ethnic society
• 13 Not White-British
• 9 Non-white Black Caribbean/African/Other
  Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Other.
• (UK Census 2001)

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2. UK Unequal society along ethnic lines

• Risks of poverty are highest for Bangladeshis,
  Pakistanis and Black Africans, but are also above
  average for Caribbean, Indian and Chinese people.
• Over half of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black
  African children are growing up in poverty.
• Black Africans have very high rates of higher
  education qualifications, but also suffer from
  high rates of unemployment and poor occupational
  outcomes.
• There also appear to be 'ethnic penalties' in
  access to social security benefits and other
  financial support.
• (Source Platt L 2007 Poverty and ethnicity in
  the UK)

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2 UK unequal society along ethnic lines
White Black Caribbean Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi
Age standardised percentages
Men 17 23 24 34 36
Ratio 1.00 1.35 1.41 2.00 2.12
Women 18 36 30 42 48
Ratio 1.06 2.12 1.76 2.47 2.82
Source Health Survey for England (199396).
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3. UK Policy makers required to tackle
discrimination and inequality

• Race Relation (Amendment) Act 2000
• Discrimination by public authority "unlawful"
• Public authorities charged with promoting
  equality of opportunity and good relations

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4. Therefore policy makers need the right
evidence base

• 'Research, and those pursuing it, should respect
  the diversity of human society and conditions and
  the multi-cultural nature of society, Whenever
  relevant, it should take account of age,
  disability, gender, sexual orientation, race,
  culture and religion in its design, undertaking
  and reporting. The body of research evidence
  available to policy makers should reflect the
  diversity of the population' (Para 2.2.7)'
• Research Governance Framework 2005

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5. But when and how?

• When should social science and public policy
  researchers take specific steps to include
  specific ethnic groups in their samples? When
  should they take steps to do a separate analysis
  of these groups?
• What helpful and unhelpful assumptions might
  underpin research in which ethnicity is a primary
  focus?