Ethnicity research

There has been no dedicated national survey of Britain's main ethnic minority groups since 1994, and there has never been a panel survey in which substantial numbers of minority group members have been followed from year to year. Ethnicity has therefore been a core element of Understanding Society from the start. Ethnic diversity and disadvantage, and issues of adaptation, opportunity and inclusion, are of wide general interest and are highly salient for research and policy purposes.

The ethnicity strand of Understanding Society will cover these research interests in three ways:

• By obtaining detailed information about all respondents' ethnic background and sense of identity
• By carrying questions on issues relevant to the experience of the UK’s minority groups, and on areas of difference between ethnic groups
• By means of an over-sample of selected minority groups that will provide sub-samples large enough to enable analysis of these groups separately or jointly              

These elements have been subject to widespread consultation and input from research and user communities.