The protected characteristic of race in the Equality Act refers to a group of people defined by their colour, nationality (including citizenship), and/or ethnic or national origins (which may not be the same as your current nationality). Advance HE recommends asking about ‘ethnicity or ethnic background’, which is also inclusive of racial (eg Black, white) and/or national groups (eg African, British, Caribbean, and so on).
As with all other monitoring questions, it is recommended that response options are listed alphabetically, for example ‘Asian, Black…’ etc. Advance HE also recommends that categories listed are disaggregated to help ensure the experiences of different minority ethnic groups are highlighted in as much detail as possible.
When asking questions about ‘mixed’ ethnic groups, institutions might wish to use the wording ‘Mixed or multiple ethnic groups’ in consultation with staff and students, which is inclusive of how some people identify.
Recommended question:
How would you describe your ethnicity or ethnic background?
Arab
- Arab or Arab British
- In another way (specify, if you wish).
Asian
- Bangladeshi or Bangladeshi British
- Chinese or Chinese British
- Indian or Indian British
- Pakistani or Pakistani British
- In another way (specify, if you wish).
Black
- African or African British
- Caribbean or Caribbean British
- In another way (specify, if you wish).
Mixed or multiple ethnic groups
- White or White British and Asian or Asian British
- White or White British and Black African or Black African British
- White or White British and Black Caribbean or Black Caribbean British
- Any other mixed or multiple ethnic backgrounds (specify, if you wish).
White
- British, English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish
- Gypsy, Irish Traveller, Traveller or Roma
- Irish
- Polish
- In another way (specify, if you wish).
Prefer not to say
In another way (specify, if you wish)
Response options for ethnicity differ in censuses in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. In Scotland, white ethnic groups listed include ‘Showman/Showwoman’. In Northern Ireland, the list of response options provided are narrower and include ‘White’, ‘Irish Traveller’, ‘Indian’, ‘Black African’, ‘Black Other’, ‘Chinese’, ‘Roma’, ‘Filipino’, ‘Mixed ethic group (write in)’ and ‘Any other ethnic group (write in)’.
When asking questions about ethnicity in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, institutions might wish to add additional options such as ‘African, African Scottish or African British’.
Advance HE’s recommended approach to the collection of data on ethnicity is UK-centric and the response options provided may not align with how people from outside of the UK identify. For example, in the USA the second largest ethnic group is Hispanic; however, this response option is not usually provided in UK data collection exercises. Likewise, in some countries, particularly those with a history of ethnic conflict or genocide, the collection of data on race and ethnicity is uncommon and, in some contexts, illegal. Consequently, international staff and students might be less likely to provide information on their ethnicity.