Although little solid research exists on the Black and Asian communities and their economic drivers, some key facts are available: 72% of the UK South Asian community live in pay TV homes compared to only 39% of the population as a whole; 74% of South Asians have a mobile phone compared to 69% of the total UK population; 70% own a pc (vs. 50% of UK population); 57% have access to the internet at home (The whole population vs. 47% of UK adult population); 46% own a DVD player (vs. 30% of UK population). [3]

2.1 Population Size

The results of the 2001 Home Office Census were released in February 2003, and put the ethnic community population size at 7.9% of the total UK population or 4,694,681 people out of a total population of 58,84,8579.

The 2001 Census saw the introduction of a new category of 'Mixed' which accounts for those children of mixed inter-racial marriages or partnerships: White and Black Caribbean; White and Black African; White and Asian; Other mixed backgrounds; All Mixed groups.

The remaining ethnic minority groups each accounted for less than 0.5%, but together accounted for a further 1.4% of the UK population.

Analyzing the changes since the last census in 1991, the 10-year period has seen an overall drop in the White population, with the largest growth in the Black African (+0.42%), Pakistani (+4%) and Indian (+0.3%) communities.

The Mixed group is a new category and may account for a small percentage drop in the White, Black Other and Black Caribbean numbers, since the majority of the 'mixed ethnicity' group are White and Black Caribbean (237,000 people). [9]

2.2 Age Distribution

The UK's ethnic minority groups have a much younger age structure than the White population, which is a clear reflection of migration and fertility patterns.

The 2001/2002 Annual Local Labour Force Survey showed that the Mixed Ethnicity group had the youngest age structure, with more than half (55%) being under the age of 16.

The Bangladeshi group also has a younger age structure compared to the other 'Asian' communities, with 38% being aged under 16. This is double the proportion of the White group, where only 19% are under the age of 16.

With regards to the ageing population, the statistics show that the White community has the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over, at 16%, with the Black Caribbean community coming next, with 9% of the group being aged 65 and over.

The impact of the younger age structure in ethnic minority communities is, as stated previously, a reflection of the migration patterns of the communities: the first large-scale migration of people of ethnic minority origin came from the Caribbean shortly after the Second World War and during the 1950s, immigrants from India and Pakistan arrived in the 1960s, many people of African-Asian descent came to the UK as refugees from Uganda and Kenya in the 70s, most Chinese and Bangladeshis came to Britain during the 1980s, many of the Black African communities came during the 1980s and 90s.

The Asian ethnic minority communities, and to a certain extent the Caribbean communities, mainly came as newly-weds, leaving partners and any children behind, to settle and establish themselves before bringing families into the country. [9]

The ethnic minority communities discussed in this document are represented by four generations in the UK:

1st generation - immigrants who settled in the UK in the 50s and 60s

2nd generation - the 'thirty-somethings', some of whom were born in the subcontinent, those under 35 born in the UK in the late 60s and 70s

3rd generation - majority born in the UK in the 70s and 80s

4th generation - predominantly children of second generation Asians [3]

2.3 Households

Anecdotally, many second and third generation Asians will talk about the 'family' unit, and its impact on any decisions they make with regards to marriage, employment and general economic activity.

Historically the Asian community is known for larger households, with younger generations living at home for longer, and with many communities even maintaining the family home and care of the first generation after marriage.

These cultural factors, along with the tendency of the first generation to have larger families, are shown in the analysis of household size:

Asian households tend to be larger than those from other ethnic groups.

In spring 2002 Bangladeshi households were the largest with an average of 4.7 people, Pakistani households had an average of 4.2 people, Indian households had 3.3 people, these households may contain up to three generations with grandparents living with a married couple and their children. Black Caribbean and Other Black households are generally the same size as White households with an average of 2.3 people living together. The South Asian community in the UK is in fact a diverse community comprising several key communities from the Indian subcontinent. They can be differentiated by several factors, including country of origin, language and religion. [9]

2.4 Varieties of Communities

2.4.1 The Indian Community

Migration from Indian subcontinent peaked in the late 1960s and early 70s. Indian people came mainly from Punjab (mainly Sikhs) and Gujarat (mainly Hindus), from a variety of origins, some from farming backgrounds with little formal education, others from towns and cities with vocational or degree level qualifications. There was considerable group of people who first migrated from the Indian subcontinent to East Africa (Kenya and Uganda), then came from Africa to Britain in the early 1970s (often referred to as African Asians). Those from the Indian subcontinent, including the community of East African Asians that migrated from India to Kenya and Uganda and subsequently to the UK can also be identified by religion - Hindu, Sikh, Indian Muslim (also Jain, Buddhist and Christian) languages spoken vary widely, but can be broken down by region of origin into the following main ones: Hindi is the lingua franca of the Indian subcontinent and is also the language of the film industry (Bollywood). Mainly North Indians including Hindu-Punjabis Punjabi stems from the state of Punjabis spoken predominantly by the Punjabi Sikh community. Has a different written script to Hindi, but Hindi and Punjabi speakers communicate well with each other, as there are many common words and phrases Gujarati stems from the state of Gujarat. Gujaratis are mainly Hindu (quite a few Jain) and more traditional and orthodox than their Punjabi counterparts. Again, the written script is different and there are also less verbal bonds than between Hindi and Punjabi speakers. The majority of east African Asians now in the UK are originally from Gujarat and may also speak Swahili there is a raft of other languages spoken in India, including: Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Multani and Sindhi. [10]

2.4.2 The Pakistani Community

Pakistani people came mainly from rural areas in Azad Kashmir and Mirpur. First generation is far more of a homogenous population than Indian migrants. Typically holding few formal qualifications many Pakistani people in Britain worked in mills and factories when they first arrived and the community has been seriously affected by the decline of manufacturing industry, in these areas most Pakistanis are Muslim. Those from the country now classified as Pakistan. Pakistan was originally part of the whole of the Indian subcontinent until 1947, when at the end of the British Raj, the country was divided into India and Pakistan with separate governments. A key reason for the partition was separation by religion - Muslims were moved from wherever they lived in India to Pakistan and all Hindus and Sikhs who were resident in the new Pakistan moved to the country then known as India. The 'partition' as it is known has been a constant reason for community segregation within the UK. Over the last 40 years the Pakistani communities speak Urdu (including a dialect called Mirpuri) as well as Punjab the state of Punjab was divided during the partition, and as a result there are Pakistani Muslims, who speak Punjabi. The Pakistani community is the most religious and orthodox of the Islamic communities, following the laws of the Koran very strictly (although there are always exceptions to the rule). [10]

2.4.3 The Bangladeshi Community

Bangladeshi migration was slightly different from Indian or Pakistani migration. Many Bangladeshi men came to Britain in the mid-60s and waited much longer to bring families to Britain. The result is that some older men have been in Britain for 20 or 30 years, while their families may have arrived relatively recently, with the peak phase of migration in the 1980s. Most Bangladeshi people in Britain come from rural area of Sylhet in North East Bangladesh, their family backgrounds were, and still are, in landholding or farming like the Pakistani population, they were less likely to have formal educational qualifications than Indian people most are Muslim. Bangladesh was formed from a region that was originally classified as East Pakistan in 1971 according to the 2001 census, the majority of the Bangladeshi population within the UK, resides in London. Approximately three quarters of the population live in the Borough of Tower Hamlets, with smaller communities in areas like Camden, Newham and Westminster most Bangladeshis who reside in these areas are from the Sylhet district of Bangladesh and have strong links back home. They are thus a very close-knit community with strong internal communication networks the Sylheti community has a distinctive dialect, which gives them a strong cultural identity. Traditionally their core values centre around the family, community and business. [10]

2.4.4 South Asian Community

In order to develop a full understanding of the UK's Asian community, a degree of time needs to be spent looking at the historical background to the communities and their ethnic origins. There have been people from ethnic minority groups living in Britain throughout history, and therefore the idea of Britain as a multicultural country is not new. However, the main period of migration for the Asian community has occurred since the Second World War, and the patterns of migration strongly influence their current positions. The UK's Black community is again an aggregation of different communities originating from the Caribbean and Africa. Both communities have differing characteristics, aspirations and historical drivers. [10]

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