Recessions increase racial prejudice and inequality in the UK
Periods of high unemployment in the UK see more people admitting to being racially prejudiced and ethnic minorities disproportionately suffering in the job market, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science [1].
The study looks at changes in self-reported racial prejudice over 27 years [2] and finds the proportion of people who said they were at least a ‘little prejudiced’ towards those from other races increased slightly whenever the economy took a turn for the worse.
The researchers found a particularly big increase in self-reported prejudice during recessions among the highly-educated. In particular, full-time employed, middle-aged White men, the group most likely to be employers or managers in the workplace, show the largest increase in self-reported prejudice.
In general, highly-educated individuals are less likely to express racial prejudice than other sections of the population. Nevertheless, the research highlights how a four percentage point increase in the unemployment rate - as was seen in the recent Great Recession – matches a 16 percentage point increase in the proportion of educated, employed White men who admitted to some racial prejudice. This is after controlling for variables such as age, education, income and gender.
For White females, the most significant increase in self-reported racial prejudice during recessions is also for the highly-educated that are full-time employed and aged 35-64. Researchers estimated a four percentage-point increase in unemployment increases this group’s racial prejudice by eight percentage points.
Dr Grace Lordan, the paper’s co-author and lecturer in health economics at LSE, commented:
“During a recession people who are normally in secure, well-paid jobs suddenly find their position under threat. Our study suggests that this increased insecurity may turn into an increase in prejudice towards ‘others’ who could be perceived as competitors.”
More at :