Media

Myths and realities of polling race in Britain

Opinion polls on race in Britain (The Observer 25 November 2001) that claim we live in "a new country in the making", characterised by rising "mixed-race relationships" and quietly receding obstacles to public success, are useless as measures of the lack of progress of people of Afro-Caribbean heritage in Britain.

There is, in fact, a deep black-white divide in economic power, status and esteem. Place-poverty is a crucial determinant. Afro-Caribbean people, largely resident in deprived districts, are conspicuously disadvantaged in housing, education, and public services. Ill-health plagues them, their infant mortality rates are twice as high as whites, and their children are six times more likely to be expelled from school, according to recent reports.

Systemic race-poverty also blocks their future prospects. In a society where parents' income is the best predictor of what a child will eventually earn, one Afro-Caribbean generation after another is effectively barred from advancement. That all major institutions stand accused of race discrimination adds another potent factor.

As a result, Afro-Caribbean people are caught up in a series of vicious circles. There is a rage to embrace postmodern society, but low pay, low personal achievement and low self-images lead to low participation and representation in party politics. Together these factors, and the resistance to them, define the condition of Black Britain.

Polls that trumpet an easing of concern among whites about socialising with blacks are, frankly, superfluous. The happy signals they send out belie the burdens of every day reality. If newspaper polls are to play an effective role in improving race relations they must delve into the black experience, search for solutions with innovative community leaders and black academics, and learn to respect the dignity of Afro-British people.

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