A SURVEY led by the University of Birmingham has found Irish Travellers and Gypsies are the least liked group in Britain.
The research, carried out in conjunction with YouGov and presented in a report titled The Dinner Table Prejudice: Islamophobia in Contemporary Britain, interviewed a sample of 1667 people between July 20 and 21, 2021.
It was intended to examine Islamophobia in Britain and found that respondents from middle and upper classes were more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam than people from working class occupational groups.
The researchers asked only one question which included Irish Travellers and Gypsies among the answers, and they were “surprised” to find the response showed significant discrimination against them also.
“The surprising – and in places, highly concerning – results show that it is not Muslims who are the ‘least liked’ group in Britain but Gypsy and Irish Travellers, who stand out by an almost 20% margin,” the report states.
“44.6% of respondents acknowledged negative attitudes towards this group, followed by Muslims (25.9%) and then Pakistanis (14.5%),” it adds.
“This compares with 8.5% for Jewish people, 6.4% for black people, and 8.4% for white people.”
Regarding the unexpected finding, they said: “This was the only question in this survey that asked about Gypsy and Irish Travellers.
“What is clear from this vast difference is there is a significant need for further investigation into public views about discrimination against Travellers.”
They added: “Muslims and Gypsy and Irish Travellers are the two standout groups in our survey because more people evaluate them negatively than positively.
“This suggests that not only is there discrimination against these two groups but also that there is less public sanction against openly acknowledging one’s dislike.
“This is borne out in the contrasting way these two groups are discussed in public life.”
You can read the survey findings in full here.
