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BBC survey

(49 Posts)
mcem Mon 04-Jun-18 16:16:58

I noticed today that a survey has been carried out asking folks in England how they feel about being English.
Do they feel strongly about their identity?
Are they proud or embarrassed to be English?
Without commenting inappropriately, since I 'm a Scot, I wonder how GNetters might feel.

I was really surprised to hear that 45% of 18-24 year-olds don't have strong feelings about being English and would guess that figure would be much higher if young Scots were asked about their feelings of Scottishness.
75% of the over-65s felt strongly about being English.

Anniebach Mon 04-Jun-18 16:28:47

Wales would be higher too and N.Ireland

mcem Mon 04-Jun-18 16:31:17

Agree annie.
I think I'd be disappointed in that low figure but it's a survey confined to England so we don't have comparisons.

BlueBelle Mon 04-Jun-18 16:33:32

I m with the young people now

mcem Mon 04-Jun-18 16:38:15

Rereading my post, I think it's a bit ambiguous.
I meant that many more young Scots would feel strongly about being Scottish.

M0nica Mon 04-Jun-18 16:42:14

Nowadays I tend to see the description 'English' as being a description of ethnicity rather than nationality, while Scottish/Irish/Welsh can be either or both.

I describe myself as, ethnically, half English, half Irish, but my nationality is British.

sunseeker Mon 04-Jun-18 16:48:00

I looked this up on the BBC news site and apparently only 20,081 people were surveyed - hardly a large enough number to give an accurate result.

Granny23 Mon 04-Jun-18 16:50:54

"Overall, the majority of Scots consider themselves their identity to be more Scottish than British. 28% consider themselves to be “Scottish, not British”, whilst another 28% say they are “more Scottish than British.

A further 29% say that they are “equally Scottish and British”, whilst just 10% believe they are either British or more British than Scottish."

YouGov survey.

humptydumpty Mon 04-Jun-18 16:56:01

I feel uncomfortable saying I feel proud of being English now, in light of the Brexit vote - it has unpleasant connotations of bigotry and the National Front to me.

Cherrytree59 Mon 04-Jun-18 16:56:10

This is difficult one for me I live in England but I am still a proud Scot especiallywhen it comes to sport.
But my family (children, grandchildren sister and husband) are English.
I am proud that they are English and I am grateful that England has been my home for quite sometime.

My DD is proud to be English, however she does feel that although people born in the other 3 nations are quite rightly proud, somewhere along along the line 'Englishness' is almost looked down on.
Almost that English have less to be proud of.
Which is Of course the correct opposite!

I would be grateful if another GNer can explain this better than I have.confused

At the time of the last Royal wedding there was a thread on MN where the UP had errors that

Welshwife Mon 04-Jun-18 16:59:14

I thought they said on the news this morning that they did do other areas as he mentioned Wales but did not give any results.

I saw this yesterday and then gave it a lot of thought as to how I felt. I was born in England to English parents and grandparents. I lived in England till I was 50 when I moved to Wales. I can remember thinking how we were now also European when we joined the EU. Now when asked what my Nationality is I always put British and I feel both British and European - I come into the older of the age brackets.
I thought the young Indian woman was interesting when she said her friends all said she must be English because she was born in England but she said she would describe herself as English Indian.
What is more important - the place you were born or live or the ethnicity of your forebears? Interesting question and not easy to answer.

Jalima1108 Mon 04-Jun-18 17:00:31

I'm British, born in England.

maryeliza54 Mon 04-Jun-18 17:02:53

sunseeker for a survey that’s a goodly number - what really matters however is how the sample was selected.

Jalima1108 Mon 04-Jun-18 17:05:01

What is more important - the place you were born or live or the ethnicity of your forebears?
What if they are a mixture from two or more places?

kittylester Mon 04-Jun-18 17:07:06

I thought the Indian girl classed herself as British Indian whereas her friends thought she should be English.

It makes me sad that being proud of being English as well as British is somehow frowned upon.

Are the proud Scots, Welsh and Irish also proud to be British?

M0nica Mon 04-Jun-18 17:09:09

sunseeker If the BBC sample was correctly drawn up
20,000 is enough to ensure a robust and reliable result. I still have the all the statistical calculations on reliability of samples and a little dial that enabled me to work out the reliability of a sample from a given population. I studied statistics for a while and later was a market research manager and once had all these figures at my finger tips.

Cherrytree59 Mon 04-Jun-18 17:13:51

Sorry for the last paragraph of gobbledygook
My pad died!
Should read.....
Thread on MN where OP said 'The Pomp and Ceremony' re last Royal Wedding made her proud to be British.
However although some agreed, more disagreed
I was surprised how many of those who considering they live and work in England did not have much to say that was positive about one of the most tolerant (IMHO) nations in the modern world.

Fennel Mon 04-Jun-18 17:15:44

Also British, born in England.
My identity is strongly influenced by having lived through WW2. Even though I was very young at the time, emotional memories.
As for our children, I've never asked them, but all except one (of 4) have lived or are living in other parts of the world.

gillybob Mon 04-Jun-18 18:03:29

I think we English are often made to feel guilty for calling ourselves English . There is also a fear of being associated with the NF etc. or referred to as a “Little Englander” (nasty) whereas it’s fine for the Scottish, Welsh, Irish to identify with their country . I tend to always refer to myself as British.

mcem Mon 04-Jun-18 18:19:17

gilly that point did come over quite clearly in the interviews and I found it quite sad.
The young woman interviewed did indeed describe herself as British-Indian.
It was interesting that different parts of the country had very different views.
humpty's point was also made. Sad to be embarrassed but clearly that was because of real or perceived racism associated with Englishness.

paddyann Mon 04-Jun-18 18:42:15

I've never been British ,I'm Scottish ..We have a lot of immigrants ..even English ones who call themselves Scottish by choice .I do have Irish ancestors so if pushed I'd say Scots /Irish .There was a brillliant photograph online yesterday of a man in an English football shirt ,carrying a Saltire ringed with the EU stars and a banner saying Engish Born Scots for yes ....Thats integration.

SueDonim Mon 04-Jun-18 18:55:42

Oh if only Scotland was always like that, Paddyann. My children have all been bullied for speaking with an English accent.

endre123 Mon 04-Jun-18 18:56:18

I heard it that most Scots were proud to be Scottish and the youth in Wales were proudest of being Welsh. BBC must have to much money.

Cherrytree59 Mon 04-Jun-18 18:56:38

This is so sadsad

We can all say we are British. Europeans, World inhabitants Members of the Universe etc.
But if you are English say so and be proud!!
Just as a Dutch, German Italian man/woman etc would proudly state what country they hailed from.

Cherrytree59 Mon 04-Jun-18 19:02:15

Suedomin I had the reverse as a Scot in an English School I felt I had to lose my Scots accent to be accepted. sad