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Scottish Connections

Attitudes Today

  • 46% of people agree that Scotland would lose its identity if more black and Asian people came here. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 34% of people agree that people from outside Britain who come to live in Scotland make the country a better place. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 23% of people think that attempts to give equal opportunities to black and Asian people have gone too far (18% in 2002), while 22% think that attempts haven to gone far enough (41% in 2002). (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • Only 12% of people would be unhappy if a close relative married or formed a long term relationship with a black or Asian person. However 37% of people would be unhappy if a close relative married/ formed a long term relationship with an asylum seeker or Gypsy/Traveller. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 27% agree the people from ethnic minorities take jobs away from people in Scotland (a 7% increase from 2002). (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 48% think that a Gypsy/Traveller would be unsuitable for the job of a primary school teacher. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 50% of people agree that Scotland would begin to lose its identity if more Muslims came to live in Scotland, compared with 38% in 2002. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 24% say they would be unhappy if a close relative married/formed a long term relationship with a Muslim, compared with 20% in 2003. However, only 16% of those who personally know a Muslim would be unhappy, compared with 32% of those who do not know any Muslims. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 15% say a Muslim would be unsuitable for the job of primary school teacher 53% say a Muslim would be fairly/ very suitable. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 22% of people say they feel uncomfortable if they see a Muslim woman with her face covered in public. 31% say they feel comfortable, while 45% are neither comfortable or uncomfortable. (source: Social Attitudes Survey 2006: Attitudes to discrimination in Scotland)
  • 52% say they don’t personally know anyone who is Muslim.

 

  • 56% of Scots felt there is 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of prejudice towards minority ethnic communities in Scotland. (Source: Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland 2003)
  • One in every 25 Scots acknowledges that they have perpetrated racist abuse. (Source: System 3 Summary of Anti Racism Campaign Surveys, June 02)
  • The number of racist incidents recorded by Scottish Police Forces continues to rise annually. In 2003-04 stood at 3,801 a year, up from 3,593 for the previous year.
  • Some Scots would support moves to return migrants to their country of origin. (Source: Scotland on Sunday Opinion Poll on Racist Attitudes, April 2002)
  • Hostile attitudes towards asylum seekers and immigrants are most widely held by male Scots in their mid-20s and 30s, in the C1 and C2 social classes. Older Scots tend to be more tolerant. (Source: Scotland on Sunday Opinion Poll on Racist Attitudes, April 02)
  • 18% of people said that attempts to give equal opportunities to people from minority ethnic communities had 'gone too far'. (Source: Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland 2003)
  • 52% of people said that most people in Scotland would mind either 'a lot' or 'a little' if one of their close relatives married someone from a different racial or ethnic background. (Source: Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland 2003)
  • 20% agreed that people from minority ethnic groups take away jobs from other people in Scotland. (Source: Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland 2003)
  • 27% of people that 'taking all things into account' people from minority ethnic groups had 'nothing at all' or 'not much' in common with people from white backgrounds. (Source: Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland 2003)
  • 46% of people said they would prefer to live in an area where 'most people are similar' to themselves. (Source: Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland 2003)