2021 census data about ethnicity is out. Thoughts???

[justpreeing]

Percentage change of UK population from 2011 - 2021

Bangladeshi - 0.8% (2011) - 1.1% (2021)
Chinese - 0.75%(2011) - 0.7% (2021)
Indian -
2.5% (2011) - 3.1% (2021)
Pakistani - 2.0% (2011) - 2.7% (2021)
African - 1.8% (2011) - 2.5% (2021)
Caribbean - 1.1% (2011) - 1.0% (2021)
Other Black - 0.5% (2011) - 0.5% (2021)
White and Black African - 0.3% (2011) - 0.4% (2021)
White and Black Caribbean - 0.8% (2011) - 0.9% (2021)

2021 Numbers

Asian - 9.3%
Black/African - 4.0%
White/European - 81.7
Mixed - 2.9%
Other

• 2.1%

Bangladeshi - 644,881

Chinese - 445,619

Indian -
1,864,318

Pakistani - 1,587,819

African - 1,488,381

Caribbean - 623,119

Other Black - 297,778

White and Black African - 249,596

White and Black Caribbean - 513,042

Anyone have any thoughts. The data is pretty interesting. You can find more info here: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/ethnicity/bulletins/ethnicgroupenglandandwales/census2021#ethnic-group-data

Can see a visualization here: www.ons.gov.uk/census/maps

Arggghhh the formatting got messed up

Interesting. I had access to the data on the stats earlier and wondered what the media reaction would be. Sadly not surprised.
It is more interesting to see the distribution throughout the country of various ethnicities.
Do the stats bear out what people would have thought they would have been?

Yeah they do for the most part. Think the only surprise is the rapid drop in the number of Christian’s

Think the only surprise is the rapid drop in the number of Christian’s

Not for me. It just means people who claim they were Christian due to their up bringing or whatever and don't believe, are now happy to state that.

So it looks like soon there might be more people who claim some sort of Caribbean identity with one white parent than two Caribbean ones?

I don't know how I feel about the typical Caribbean in this country actually being mixed race.

I say that but my children are only half Caribbean, and I MAKE them identify as Caribbean (mixed), so....!

and I MAKE them identify as Caribbean (mixed)

You need to let your children identify as what they want when they are old enough. It's will be interesting as they are unlikely to identify the same way.

Appreciate that take on it, it's just not mine. I said that more as a chuckle, but your response makes me want to explain more about my take.

I think they are old enough to have an identity now (indeed they must be as they do have identities now).

I give them as much information as possible, but I don't pretend they can 'choose' their identity.

We disagree, which is ok. I don't believe I am harming my children, so it's all good!

Surely everyone has an identity whether they know it or not, whether they're alive or not.

@samosamo "I don't know how I feel about the typical Caribbean in this country actually being mixed race."

Genuine question as I'm from the Caribbean and I'm not sure what your statement means. On the island where I was born over 22% identify as mixed race. The reality is probably higher, because colourism so with people identifing according to how they look. I'm wondering if you think that people from the Caribbean are primarily Black. When I first came to the UK 40+ years ago, I got the "you can't be X because they're all Black/you don't look like a X" so I'm hoping that you don't think Caribbean=Black.
I'm proud of my multi-racial heritage, especially my Amerindian roots.

I was taking about (white) British mixed with Caribbean in my post. I hope that helps.

I give them as much information as possible, but I don't pretend they can 'choose' their identity

but you do think you can dictate their identity

Thank you for your answer, but the point I was trying to clarify is that if people from the Caribbean are already mixed race then having children with a white British person can only result in mixed/multi race children.
What other ethnicity do you think they will be?

My answer is still mixed with (white) British because I have assumed the 'white' in the census is White British. There is a very slim chance it is white Caribbean, but I very much doubt it.

If you are saying, and I think you are, that what I'm saying is a nonsense because Caribbean people are mixed, I'd probably take that line further and say the Census is a nonsense, because probably far more than 22% of your country is mixed (I don't know your country). Of course, 'mixing' was a weaponised tool resulting from forced servitude and subjugation which necessarily included sexual violence. So even my Tobagonian grandma who's DNA says 97% Nigerian and 3% Scottish is mixed. Just like her child who has a UK Scottish father. Both just mixed. It's the same. And then her grandchild who has a Welsh mum. My gran, her child, and grandchild are actually all just mixed. It's the same. They're all just mixed Caribbean.

Maybe that's how I should go about thinking about the world. I'd worry it's not very useful in explaining social structural outcomes, not very useful in explaining my life experiences, but probably more factually correct.

@samosamo Scottish and Welsh people don't tend to say they are British. They tend to state clearly what UK country they are from even if they had ancestors who subjugated others else where in the world.

So I have friends and know others who are mixed various ethnicities plus Welsh or Scottish, and they make it very clear they are not mixed English. Also as they were born and live in the UK it is very different from being born elsewhere.

"If you are saying, and I think you are, that what I'm saying is a nonsense because Caribbean people are mixed"
No, I'm saying that I don't know why you are surprised.

Of course, 'mixing' was a weaponised tool resulting from forced servitude and subjugation which necessarily included sexual violence.
This statement always needs to be said within the context of slavery because I would argue that more "mixing" has taken place in the Caribbean after the end slavery than during it as populations grew. Taking Trinidad and Tobago as an example, I doubt that the people who had children with Indian and Chinese workers who came there as indentured labourers in mid 1800, did so because of forced servitude and subjugation.

In my posts I was quite clearly referring to White British mixed with Caribbean.

But you can always talk about mixed Caribbean or Indo Caribbean people if you like (and I've also referred to myself as one, it's not surprising at all). I'd be open to learn something. But that's not what I'm talking about here and now. I was talking about the majority of people in the UK who identify as some form of Caribbean having a white British parent in this country.

If you think it's all the same we can disagree, and do.

Thanks