In the UK, information on the nature of ethnic inequalities improved significantly with the establishment of the Race Disparity Audit (RDA) by Theresa May’s Cabinet Office in 2017. This initiative began with a review which required all Government Departments to identify what information they held on UK public services that could be analysed by ethnicity. The amount of data unearthed was vast and varied in both quality and depth. It included Census data, official statistics, Government surveys and Departments’ own administrative records. Since then, the Cabinet Office has been working to make this information available to the public, via the online database known as ‘Ethnicity Facts and Figures’. A further strength of the RDA is the new insight it offers into inequalities at the regional level. To date, these regional data have not been given the same attention as those at the national level.

Using South West England as a case study, our investigation examines the nature of RDA data on ethnic inequalities in health, socioeconomic position, housing, education and inclusion. We look at race disparities in the region, and compare them with race disparities identified nationally and in other regions in England. We also consider the quality of the data available. 

We found striking differences in the experiences of those with different ethnicities living in the South West. Many – although not all – of these appear favourable compared with national figures and those from other regions. However, there are several issues which undermine the value of RDA data as a basis for regional policy development. Small numbers of indicators are available at the regional level. There are also problems with the nature of the data provided which further limited their value.

Statutory authorities need to ensure that regional data is more comprehensive and consistent – within and between region and nationally.

This research focused specifically on RDA data on ethnic inequalities in health, education, employment, housing and inclusion in the South West region. Note that all data were collected prior to the coronavirus pandemic and cannot reflect changes during this period. These are likely to have increased these race disparities, both nationally and regionally.

Race disparities in the South West

The South West is one of the regions with the smallest percentage of ‘other than white’ ethnic group, with 92% of the population classified as white British, 2% as ‘Asian’ (including Chinese people), 1% Black, 1.5% ‘Mixed’, 3.5% ‘white other’ and 0.3% in ‘other’ ethnic groups.

Health

RDA data available at the national level presents ethnic inequalities in a range of measures of physical and mental health and wellbeing, the experiences of patients and lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol and drug use. However, only information on rates of physical activity are provided at a regional level. In the South West, there were higher rates of physical activity among those with ‘Mixed’ (79%), ‘Black’ (70%), ‘white British’ (67%) and ‘white other’ (69%) ethnicities but considerably lower rates among those with ‘Asian’ (48%) and ‘other’ (52%) ethnicities. Ethnic inequalities in physical activity in the South West are comparable to those of other areas, although the rates for the Asian group were the lowest of any region in England.

Figure 1: Percentage of people aged over 16 years classified as ‘physically active’, by region and ethnicity

Employment

RDA figures suggest positive employment and unemployment rates, both in the region in general and for specific ethnic (minority) groups in the South West compared with other regions. However, ethnic inequalities in employment persist and disadvantage ‘non-white’ ethnic groups relative to ‘white’ ones. The highest employment rates in the South West were among those in the ‘white other’ group (86%), followed by those in the ‘white British’ (79%), ‘white’ (79%), ‘Indian’(76%), ‘Mixed’ (71%), ‘Black’ (72%), ‘Asian other’ (67%), ‘Asian’ (71%) and ‘other’ (60%) groups. There were too few people in the ‘Bangladeshi and Pakistani’ group in the South West to be presented.

Figure 2: Percentage of 16 to 64-year olds who were employed, by region and ethnicity

According to figures on the RDA, ‘non-white’ (1.1%) people living in the South West are more likely to be claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) than those with ‘white’ ethnicities (0.7%). This was lower than the average for England and Wales of 1.6% and 1% respectively. Black and white British people are more likely to have been claiming JSA for more than 104 weeks, in the South West and several other regions. However, rates of long-term JSA claims among those in the ‘Black’ group (20.4%) living in the South West are higher than all other regions with the exception of London and the West Midlands.

Figure 3: Percentage of claims for Jobseeker’s Allowance lasting for more than 104 weeks, by region and ethnicity

Housing

There are variations in the levels of home ownership between those in ‘white’ and ‘non-white’ ethnic groups in every region. However, at 70% and 40%, these variations are larger in the South West than elsewhere. Those living in the South West who are not in the ‘white British’ groups are three times as likely to rent than ‘white British’ people (48% vs 16%), again, a larger disparity than any other region. RDA figures suggest that in the South West there is no ethnic difference in the proportion of people in rented social housing, with 13% of the ‘white’ and 12% of the ‘non-white’ group renting their housing from a local authority or housing association.

While most (56%) of homeless households in the City of Bristol are ‘white’, almost a quarter (24%) are households in the ‘Black’ group, with 6% or fewer with other ethnicities. The lack of information on the RDA, or via other sources, regarding the ethnic profile of local authorities prevents better understanding of the extent to which this reflects the actual population in Bristol, or not. The proportion of ethnic minority homeless households in areas other than Bristol City is very small.

In the South West, ‘other than white’ households are four times more likely to live in overcrowded accommodation than white households (8% vs 2%). While ‘white British’ households are less likely to be overcrowded than those with other ethnicities in every region in England, rates of overcrowding among non-white British households, and disparities between white British and non-white British households, are larger in the South West than those in several other regions.

Figure 4: Percentage of households that were overcrowded by region and ethnicity

Education

Indicators of ethnic inequalities in educational attainment at preschool ages and until (but not after) the age of 16, as well as indicators concerning absences and exclusions are presented by local authority. These data do not enable comparison across regions. In the South West, these comparisons are also limited by the small number of people with ethnic minority backgrounds in some local authorities. These data are therefore an insufficient basis from which to draw strong conclusions about the presence of ethnic disparity in the region. However, there is evidence of variation in the ethnic patterning of strong GSCE passes in English and mathematics by local authority, although the more positive results of Chinese and Asian students shows more consistency both in the South West and elsewhere. There are also fewer exclusions among these groups.

Figure 5: Percentage of GCSE pupils getting a strong pass in English and maths by local authority and ethnicity‌