Almost half of employees have had their accent mocked, criticised or singled out in a social setting, while a quarter said this treatment has taken place in a work situation, according to research. The Sutton Trust’s Speaking Up report examines the impact that someone’s accent has on their journey through education and into the workplace, based on the experiences of sixth-formers, university students and professionals.
It found that a person’s region of origin – particularly the north of England and the Midlands – plays an important part in accent anxiety in earlier life stages. Later, in the mid-life stage of professional employment, social class differences are more prominent.
30% of university students and 29% of university applicants reported having been mocked, criticised or singled out in educational settings due to their accents, while this was also experienced by 25% of professionals in work situations. Employees reported higher levels of being mocked or singled out for their accent in a social setting (46%), with 40% of university applicants reporting the same and just under half of all university students (47%).
