White British or something else?

[Saltisford]

Please settle a debate for me. Am I being unreasonable to tick something other than White British on the UK census form? White European?

My background is that I have one British grandparent, two Polish and one German but I was born in the UK.

What should I tick?

Just tick other

I put white other

But surely from an ethnicity point of view there is no difference between "white British" and "white French" or "white German" - they are all the same. It's just the nationality that differs.

You can tick white British and then tick other and write European. Many people are doing this to show they wanted to remain in the EU. As seen on Twitter.

You just tick other and put whatever you want

I went for white British. I'm not, but you wouldn't know it from looking at me or talking to me

White British, surely.

I always tick white British. I was born in the UK. My mums American and my Dads welsh and both grandparents are Irish!

I am going to put white Welsh as that us what I am.

I have one white British parent and one white European parent. I put white British, because I was born and bred in Britain and consider Britian my home and the culture I belong to. I didn’t think it was trying to capture my ancestry, rather how I consider myself. If I had felt a stronger link to my non British parents culture then I might have ticked a different box.

garlictwist there is for health reasons, I'm White-Italian and got extra blood tests in pregnancy (as would Greek etc) women as some diseases are more common in people with Mediterranean heritage.

@garlictwist

But surely from an ethnicity point of view there is no difference between "white British" and "white French" or "white German" - they are all the same. It's just the nationality that differs.

Ethnicity is not about your skin colour! It's your culture, language, traditions etc. If the census is the be correct then people should put down the ethnic group that most correctly represents them.

The thing about "white european" is that there is just no such thing as simply European. Scandinavian people are different to Italian, Slovaks are different to French. Brits are different to Croatians. By culture, language, DNA.

I filled it during zoom call, but I think it asked about details and I just filled up xxx there. You could maybe put all three. Or ask on the census officer ama thread

I wasn't even born in the UK and still ticked white British because I've now got British citizenship, a British passport and have lived here for the majority of my life. I think it's a bit much to base it on your grandparents! My family are from all over the world but I feel England is my home and where I best fit culturally.

I can't quite remember the question but wasn't the guidance something along the lines of "which culture do you feel you most closely identify with" or words to that effect? So not just a case of what your passport says? I could be misremembering but I think it was something like that.

I've just done mine, I've put my nationality as white British and then my ethnicity as something more specific.

@sweetpotatopie12

My mum used to to say

Just because you were born in a stable doesn't make you a horse lol

Yeah, Bernard Manning used to say that too...

Your parents and grandparents are all white. You were born in Britain and live in Britain and have a British passport. Both parents were born either in Britain or in a British oversea base and have British passports. You don't have a Polish or German passport I assume? Have you ever lived in either of those places for any length of time? Do you speak German and Polish fluently? Do your grandparents still live there and you visit/have a base there?

Put what you want but I think it's a bit of a stretch to identify not as british in these circumatances.

I think there should absolutely be an option for black british, to be honest. Some british black people have families that have lived here for hundreds of years. That's another matter though.

@skippy67

I think there should absolutely be an option for black british, to be honest. Some british black people have families that have lived here for hundreds of years. That's another matter though.

is there not an option for black British? That's really bad. I'm in Scotland, can't remember the last time I saw a census form.

My mum used to to say Just because you were born in a stable doesn't make you a horse lol

Your mum was the Duke of Wellington?

I had the same issue, my mum is British but my Dad is Cypriot and moved over here when he was in his early 20s. I did put White British but was wondering if I should have put other

The census describes Ethnicity as your cultural or family background. So what you feel best describes that background. My DD has a British passport but puts White European or White Other as none of her parents were born in Britain.

Is there an implicit racism revealed here that white immigrants are considered fully ‘British’ but non-white are still identified for generations by their ancestors’ ethnicity?

Since you were born in the UK as was one of your parents (and the other in a British army hospital?) yes it would be British. And you're white.

Interesting that most think OP should select White - British because she was born here. There is rarely an option on these forms for Black - British; even if you, your parents and grandparents were born here you generally have to choose Black - African, Black - Caribbean or Black - Other. Just an observation.

This. Black people have lived in Britain for centuries. Even the large period of Carribbean immigration started 70+ years ago.

I've never met a 3rd/4th gen black person who feels anything other than British (though I'm sure there are some who don't).

Thinking skin colour defines ethnicity, culture or nationality is just racism by another name.

Put what you want but I think it's a bit of a stretch to identify not as british in these circumatances.

Absolutely.

Having one parent from a Mediterranean country, I never know what to say on these forms either. I usually put white mixed other.