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Fewer people than a decade ago believe someone must have been born or have ancestry in the UK to describe themselves as British, according to a new survey which also reveals a sharp fall in national pride.
The findings suggest Britain has become more inclusive in its attitudes, the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) said.
But they come just a week after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in his first major speech since taking office, referred to summer riots involving the far-right as having “exposed the state of our country”.
They “revealed a deeply unhealthy society”, he said, adding: “The cracks in our foundation laid bare, weakened by a decade of division and decline, infected by a spiral of populism”.
NatCen, which published the latest chapter of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) report on Tuesday, said the apparent change in views over a decade could reflect increased diversity and “shared citizenship”.
The survey of around 1,600 people found that the proportion who think it is important someone was born in the UK in order to describe themselves as “truly British” has fallen from 74% in 2013 to 55% in 2023.
Those who believe it is important to have British ancestry has also dropped to 39% from 51% a decade ago.
In June, the now-Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faced claims of using “dog whistle” tactics by suggesting Rishi Sunak does not understand “our culture” in an attack on the then-prime minister for leaving the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations early.
In response to criticism, Mr Farage said his comments were in relation to the “class” of Mr Sunak – the UK’s first British Asian prime minister – rather than his background as the child of immigrants.
The BSA report noted that “British” is not the only national identity in the UK, given that it is a “multinational country” consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
It stated: “Each of the UK’s component parts has its own sense of national identity, or in the case of Northern Ireland, contested identities. In the three nations other than England there are political parties with significant support that advocate leaving the UK.”
The NatCen survey showed that overall there had been a steep decline in the proportion of people who take pride in the country’s achievements, the survey found.
While 86% in 2013 stated that they were proud of Britain’s history, this fell to less than two thirds (64%) 10 years on.
Just over half (53%) professed pride in how Britain’s democracy works, down from 69% in 2013, and just over four in 10 (44%) said they are proud of Britain’s economic achievements, a fall from 57% in 2013.
Gillian Prior, deputy chief executive at NatCen, said: “Our latest report finds Britain has become more inclusive in its attitudes towards what it means to be British.
“These research findings show that whilst we are less likely to take pride in British history and more critical about its politics, there is still a great deal of national pride in the country’s cultural and sporting achievements.
“This change in attitudes may have been influenced by the increased diversity and shared citizenship within Britain, presenting a portrait of a nation redefining itself.”
Survey respondents were from England, Scotland and Wales.
