Ethnic minorities ‘twice as likely’ to face discrimination in local services

Ethnic minority communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) says.

Its survey of 2,600 people in Great Britain, including a weighted sample of 1,000 people from ethnic minority backgrounds, found that minority groups have struggled to access government support.

According to the RSA, 46% of Asian respondents, 41% of those with mixed ethnic backgrounds and 39% of Black respondents say they have struggled or been unable to access government support, despite being eligible for it.

Also this week, think tank the Resolution Foundation announced that, according to its analysis, between the second and fourth quarters of 2020, the jobless rate for young Black people rose 10 percentage points to 35%. This compares with a rate of 24% for young people of Asian descent and 13% for young White people, both up three percentage points.

The report also noted that: "young people’s employment prospects have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 crisis. [Our] research found that as early as May 2020, one-third of 18-24-year olds had been furloughed or lost their main job – compared to less than 15% of their 35-44-year-old counterparts."

https://www.thersa.org/press/releases/2021/ethnic-minorities-twice-as-likely-to-face-discrimination-in-local-services

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2021/04/Uneven-steps.pdf