Ethnic identities in flux: Exploring changes in self-reported ethnicity

Recent quantitative approaches to ethnic identity have taken ethnic categories as the variable to be explained, focusing on whether social, demographic and cultural factors influence how individuals self-report in surveys and censuses.

Drawing on two longitudinal data sources from the UK, Haley adds to this literature by exploring how individuals change their self-reported ethnicity between waves. The analysis focuses on respondents who adopt a White British identity over time, having previously identified with a different ethnic category, and investigates whether these changes relate to social status.

Preliminary findings show that low social status, namely lower education and social grade, positively correlate with changes towards the White British category. Moreover, individual transitions over time suggesting a loss of social status also trigger changes in ethnic identity reporting.

These findings offer new insights into how individuals negotiate ethnic options in survey settings and inform us more broadly about the connection between social inequality and ethnic identity.

This event will be particularly useful for researchers, policymakers and teachers.

Related links

• QSS and CLS seminar series
• Quantitative Social Science
• Centre for Longitudinal Studies
• Social Research Institute

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