British Asians 'Support Extremist Ban'

The majority of British Asians disapprove of Tony Blair's actions in relation to Iraq, according to new research conducted by MORI. The survey, commissioned by the BBC Asian Network, was among a representative sample of Asians in Great Britain and shows six in 10 (61%) disapprove of how Tony Blair is handling the Iraq situation.

The same percentage support the banning of extremist Muslim groups in Britain, with only 15% opposing such a ban. Even among Muslims, over half (55%) support such a ban.

A quarter (26%) say they have experienced racial or religious prejudice or discrimination in the past 12 months, compared with seven in 10 (71%) who say they have not. A higher proportion (40%) have experienced it during their lifetime compared with half (50%) who have not. The majority of this took the form of verbal abuse and inhibited job opportunities.

Twice as many approve of arranged marriages than disapprove (48% compared with 25%), and the proportion who approve of marriage between different ethnic groups outweighs those who disapprove (43% compared with 29%). However in relation to marriage between people from different religious backgrounds within Asian communities, those disapproving outweighs those who approve — more than two in five (45%) disapprove whilst a third (33%) approve.

When asked who they most admire the top three positions are held by stars of the stage and screen: film star Amitabh Bachchan (39%), actress Madhuri Dixit (26%) and Shah Rukh Khan (25%). Tony Blair and actress Aishwaria Rai tie were both named by two in five (21%) with David Beckham outperforming Nasser Hussain at 19% and 11% respectively.

A majority also believe that young British Asians belong more to Britain than South Asian countries — two thirds (66%) as opposed to one in 10 (11%) who disagree. However opinion is divided between those who think immigrants to Britain should be encouraged to speak English in their own home (42%) and those who disagree (41%).

When asked about which team they supported during this year's World Cup, among those expressing an interest in the tournament seven in 10 wanted England to win. Only one in five wanted another side to win.

Technical details

MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 507 Asians in Great Britain face-to-face, either in the street or at home, between 5-15 October 2002 with data weighted to match the known population profile. Religious backgrounds as given by respondents broke down into 45% Muslim, 32% Hindu, 17% Sikh, 2% Christian and 4% who were other or refused to answer.

Topline Results

• MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 507 Asian adults aged 16+ across 38 sampling points in the United Kingdom.
• Interviews were carried out face-to-face, either in-street or in-home.
• Data are weighted to match known population profile. All interviews were conducted between 5 and 15 October 2002.
• Where figures do not sum to 100 per cent, this may be due to computer rounding, multiple codes or the exclusion of 'Don't know'.
• An asterisk (*) indicates a value of less than 0.5 but greater than 1.
• Base is all respondents (507) unless indicated otherwise.

Q1 From the following, who do you most admire? Who else?

Q2 Thinking now about the Football World Cup tournament that was held this summer in Japan and South Korea. Which, if any, of the countries on this card did you want to win the tournament?

Q3 Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is handling the current situation with Iraq (the country ruled by Saddam Hussein)?

Q4 Do you support or oppose banning extremist Muslim groups in Britain?

Q5-6 I am now going to read out a list of statements and I would like you to tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with each.

Q7-9 To what extent do you approve or disapprove of each of the following I am about to read out.

Q10-11 Have you personally experienced any prejudice or discrimination because of your ethnic background, skin colour or religion …

10. In the past twelve months
11. Ever

Q12. Which of the forms of prejudice or discrimination listed on the card have you experienced in the last five years. What else?

Base: All who have experienced prejudice / discrimination (212)