Asians less likely to 'marry out'
Monday, 6 August 2007
Print
Email
Five times as many young Asians as white people would only marry someone of their own race, a survey has revealed.
Nearly half of Asians aged between 16 and 34 would only marry someone from the same racial group, compared to just 9 per cent of white respondents.
The survey, by ICM for the BBC Asian Network, also found that more than half of young Asians would not consider dating a black person. And it showed that five times as many young Asians as whites believe homosexuality to be immoral.
Commissioned as part of a season examining the state of mind of Britain's Asian population, the survey found UK Asians hold dramatically different attitudes to friends and relationship than that of their white peers.
According to the survey, nearly half - 44 per cent - of the Asian respondents would only marry another Asian. Eighty-seven per cent of white people said they would consider a mixed marriage but only 53 per cent of Asians felt the same.
The study showed that, while 83 per cent of white respondents would consider going out with a black person, just 44 per cent of Asians would do so.
But the survey also showed that young white people are twice as likely as Asians to choose their friends from their own racial group. More than two-thirds of young whites (69 per cent) said that all or most of their friends are also white, compared to 31 per cent of Asians whose friends are all or mostly Asian.
Young Asians also appear to have very different attitudes to homosexuality than their white counterparts: 44 per cent of young Asians believe homosexuality is immoral - an opinion shared by just 8 per cent of whites.
ICM Research interviewed two separate samples of people younger than 34 when carrying out the study last month. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results weighted to the profile of those involved.
"Asian" refers to people identifying themselves as Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan.
The survey is for a season of programmes exploring the lives of young British Asians 60 years after the independence of India and Pakistan.
