An official report brought together Census statistics on the key demographic, geographic, household, and labour market differences between the main ethnic and religious groups in Great Britain. It analyzed the racial and religious mix of every local authority in England and Wales, based on the likelihood that two people selected at random would belong to different ethnic groups.
Source: Joy Dobbs, Hazel Green and Linda Zealey (eds.), Focus on Ethnicity and Religion: 2006 edition, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Report | ONS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report said that Britain was a country of increasing ethnic and religious diversity. Many ethnic minority groups blended into British society while preserving their own distinct appearance, language, religion, and culture. This cultural diversity was, by and large, viewed as making Britain a healthier and richer society.
Source: Ethnicity in Britain, Future Foundation (020 7250 3343)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined the status of black/ethnic minority communities in Great Britain, highlighting continuing disadvantage across a range of social policy areas. 9 out of 10 people from BME communities identified themselves as British: in contrast, people from white groups were more likely to describe their national identity as English (58 per cent) rather than British (36 per cent).
Source: Audrey Adams, Race Audit of Social Policy Areas: A snapshot of black and ethnic minority communities in the UK, 1990 Trust (020 7582 1990)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
An annual report presented the main findings from the 2003-04 dataset of the Scottish Household Survey - focusing on housing, transport, and social justice.
Source: Joan Corbett, Pat MacLeod, Chris Martin and Steven Hope, Scotland s People: Results from the 2005 Scottish Household Survey, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | Technical report | Methodology report | SE press release
Date: 2006-Aug
The Annual Abstract of Statistics for 2006 was published. It included over 10,000 series of data, covering key aspects of the United Kingdom's economic, social, and industrial life.
Source: Annual Abstract of Statistics 2006, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Jul
People in Great Britain spent an average of 142 minutes per day on housework in 2005 30 minutes per day less than in 2000. 77 per cent of men and 92 per cent of women spent some time each day doing housework, compared with 86 per cent of men and 96 per cent of women in 2000. In 2005, people spent more time looking after their children (an average of 24 minutes per day compared with 20 minutes in 2000), even though a smaller proportion of people spent any time on childcare.
Source: Deborah Lader, Sandra Short and Jonathan Gershuny, The Time Use Survey, 2005: How we spend our time, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release
Date: 2006-Jul
A report brought together key statistics about ageing, including underlying changes in fertility and mortality rates. It examined the changing marital status of the older population; the proportions of older people with children; and patterns of interaction between older people and their relatives.
Source: Jane Falkingham and Emily Grundy, Demographic Aspects of Population Ageing, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report | ESRC press release
Date: 2006-Jun
Average spending per person on food and drink in 2004-05 was ?34.31 per week.
Source: Family Food in 2004-05, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | DEFRA press release | BBC report
Date: 2006-May
A report examined the evidence base relating to the demographic, socio-economic, and cultural characteristics of 'emerging' faith communities - specifically the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh populations - together with likely future trends within them.
Source: James Beckford, Richard Gale, David Owen, Ceri Peach and Paul Weller, Review of the Evidence Base on Faith Communities, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Apr
A report summarized information on the incomes and circumstances of a sample of around 28,000 private households in the United Kingdom in 2004-05. Information covered household characteristics; income and state support receipt; tenure and housing costs; assets and savings; carers and disability; occupation and employment; and methodological aspects of the survey. 69 per cent of households were in receipt of at least one state benefit. The most commonly received benefits were child benefit and retirement pension: 28 and 30 per cent of households respectively were in receipt of these benefits.
Source: Robert Chung et al. (eds.), Family Resources Survey: United Kingdom 2004-05, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report | DWP press release
Date: 2006-Mar
An article said that the 'oldest old' - people aged 85 and over - were the fastest rising age group. Their numbers had grown by 84 per cent between 1981 and 2004, to over 1.1 million. Between 1991 and 2001 the proportion of those aged over 85 living in communal establishments had fallen.
Source: Cecilia Tomassini, 'The oldest old in Great Britain: change over the last 20 years', Population Trends 123, Spring 2006, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Article | ONS press release
Date: 2006-Mar
The 2006 edition of Social Trends was published, bringing together a wide range of statistics on many aspects of contemporary society and how it had changed over the years. The feature report dealt with the ethnic and religious diversity of the population, looking at the labour market and educational achievements of the different ethnic and religious populations.
Source: Penny Babb, Hayley Butcher, Jenny Church and Linda Zealey, Social Trends 36: 2006 edition, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Report | ONS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Feb
An official report described some of the key issues and trends in health in the United Kingdom.
Source: Madhavi Bajekal, Velda Osborne, Mohammed Yar and Howard Meltzer (eds.), Focus on Health: 2006 edition, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Date: 2006-Jan
In mid-2003, the non-white British population of England was estimated to be 7.1 million, an increase of 506,300 since mid-2001, according to new experimental statistics.
Source: Population Estimates by Ethnic Group 2001-03, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report (Excel link) | ONS press release
Date: 2006-Jan