The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

CHAPTER FIVE THE VIEWS OF DATA PROVIDERS: ATTITUDES TOWARDS DATA COLLECTION

Introduction

5.1 This chapter focuses on the general public's reactions to being asked about their ethnicity, and their recall of occasions where organisations had done so. They were asked about the types of organisations that collect data on ethnicity, their assumptions about the reasons organisations have for doing so, and the different ways in which they might ask about it.

5.2 In general respondents found it difficult to remember occasions when they had been asked about their ethnicity, although they remembered being asked about it for employment and in some other contexts. They found it more difficult to recall specific detail about the frameworks used. Despite this, respondents varied in their reactions to being asked about their ethnicity, with some happy to answer the question and others more reticent, or feeling that it depended on who wanted to know and their reason for collecting such data. Certain respondents felt that it would depend on the way the question was asked; attitudes to different frameworks are further discussed in the next chapter.

AWARENESS OF ORGANISATIONS COLLECTING DATA ON ETHNICITY

5.3 When respondents were asked which types of organisations might collect data on ethnicity, the main one mentioned was employers. Generally, respondents mentioned having had to fill in a form when they applied for current or past jobs. Other organisations and institutions given as examples of those collecting such data included:

• Schools and colleges - these were cited both by parents of younger children who had made the application for their child and older students who remembered answering the question on their own behalf;
• The medical profession, although interestingly respondents said that they did not recall ever having been asked the question in this context and cited it more as an example of a body they assumed would want to know, rather than as a result of direct experience;
• Local authorities - some respondents were more specific, citing housing and council tax forms as times when a local authority would want to know their ethnic background, while others mentioned local authorities only in the abstract;
• Housing associations;
• The police;
• The Census;
• Private companies;
• Market research - both in the form of face-to-face surveys conducted by organisations, and self completion questionnaires, such as those found in magazines; and
• Charities.

RECOLLECTION OF BEING ASKED ABOUT ETHNICITY

5.4 Although respondents were aware of having answered questions about their ethnicity in the past, they found it difficult to remember doing so in great detail. This being the case, they also found it difficult to recall specific details about classifications used on the occasions they had been asked, although there were those who were aware that classifications did vary.

5.5 Although some respondents found it difficult to remember any details about the frameworks used, there were others who were able to draw comparisons. Those who made comparisons between ethnic frameworks did so over time rather than between organisations, identifying elements that were present in ethnic classifications now that would not have been found a few years ago.

5.6 Elements respondents felt were new or had changed over time included the expansion of categories contained within the standard Black and Asian categories to include Black British, Black Scottish, Asian British and Asian Scottish; and the addition of a specific code for people of mixed ethnic background. These elements were more likely to be noticed by those respondents who felt they fitted the categories affected, or were enabled to change the way they described themselves following the alteration.

"My sister who just noticed, and she was like, oh, we can actually fit into something now, do you know what I mean? Because it was just so hard before and you just end up leaving it and things." (Female, Age 18-24, Interview No.27)

ATTITUDES TOWARDS BEING ASKED ABOUT ETHNICITY

5.7 Generally speaking, respondents said that they did not have a problem with being asked about their ethnicity. They were happy to answer the question. Many respondents seemed unsuspicious about how the data would be used, although there were also those who did entertain reservations about the reason for gathering the information and the use to which it would be put.

5.8 Data providers who indicated that they were happy to answer questions relating to their ethnicity in any circumstances said that this was for any of the following reasons:

• They had not thought about the issue and simply wanted to fill in the form quickly and accurately;
• They trusted the organisations that had asked them for the information to be asking for a legitimate reason, even when they were not sure of what it might be - either because they trusted anyone who wanted to know to be collecting the information for a good reason, or because the organisation was a reputable one such as a public body or charity;
• They saw their ethnicity as a statement of fact or source of pride that there was no reason to hide.

"[Just to give them the] information, it don't bother me to tell, you know, where I'm from; it don't really trouble [me]." (Female, Age 25-34, Interview No.7)

5.9 Respondents who had suspicions about the reasons for gathering the data in certain circumstances said that this was because:

• They feared that the information might be used to discriminate against them or against others; or
• They did not trust the organisation collecting the data to be doing so for the right reasons.

"If it was just random in the street and they weren't saying what it was for, and they just said an organisation, I'd be a bit cautious; I wouldn't know what they would be using the information for. … If they just said it was an interview for a retailer, something like that, and they didn't really say why they wanted the information, I may be a bit cautious." (Male, Age, Interview No.29)

5.10 For some, whether or not they were reticent about giving information about their ethnicity depended on the classification. Some respondents worried about more detailed categories, wondering why an organisation would need so much information. Even so, this should not be taken to indicate an overall preference for a small number of broad categories; as will be seen later, there were respondents who found this insulting or pointless. Classifications are discussed in further detail in the next chapter.

5.11 Some respondents said that they, or some others in their community, might hesitate to give information about their ethnicity, or to go into detail about it. In particular this issue related to some minorities that had experienced persecution during the Holocaust, such as Gypsy Travellers and Jewish people, and appeared to bear some relation to age, with those expressing concerns being older respondents. Some others in the same community, even of a similar age, did not have these fears.

"I don't have a problem with it. Again, I know that some Jewish people would. I think it's probably fair to say that my father would feel uncomfortable about it; it was used in his time for sinister purposes." (Male, Age 50, Interview No.10)

"And what happened to the Jews in Europe where … people had to declare the religion made it much easier for the Germans to round them up. That, leaving that aspect aside …I wouldn't hesitate to describe myself on some official document as Jewish."(Male, Age 65+, Interview No.28)

5.12 For other respondents, whether or not they were happy to give the information, and the amount of detail they wanted to give, depended on the organisation asking them and their perceived reasons for asking. Assumptions about these are discussed further in the next section.

5.13 As mentioned above, respondents generally assumed that certain organisations would need to know the data for legitimate purposes. Other organisations, however, were treated with more suspicion. In particular, respondents assumed that the medical profession and the Government were most likely to need information on a person's ethnicity and in a detailed way, as the information would be relevant to their work; and employers least likely, as it was not perceived to be relevant to them.

ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT REASONS FOR ASKING ABOUT ETHNICITY

5.14 Respondents thought that organisations might want to know about ethnicity for the following broad reasons:

• For information purposes, including monitoring of diversity;
• To enable the most efficient allocation of services or resources, and to enable the needs of specific ethnic minorities to be identified; or
• To serve other agendas.

Each of these reasons is described in more detail below.

Informational needs

5.15 Some respondents thought that organisations wanted information about ethnicity simply for "information", without being specific about why they might want it or what records they might keep. It was also suggested that in some cases organisations might be collecting data solely in order to comply with legislation without using the information. Some also felt that employers and organisations might simply be interested in finding out more about their employees, customers or residents, and therefore collected ethnicity data along with other personal information.

"They're supposed to be, and you can call me cynical here, the reason they give you is to monitor the number of people in their organisation, either applying for employment, staying and you know …. I don't think, I think they're just doing it because the government is forcing them, under the equality opportunities rules and regulations, they have to collect it. They do nothing with that as far as I'm aware." (Male, Age 35-49, Interview No.20)

"I reckon it's just for their detail, for example they're one of their, you know, the department who organises the applications…. Detail about so many Asians, we have so many black, in a databank... I think it's just a process, just a process where they have a good understanding what [people] they have in their college or bank." (Male, Age 25-34, Interview No.31)

5.16 Those that did identify possible uses for the data gained through asking people about their ethnicity suggested that it might be used in the following ways:

• To provide statistics enabling the Government, Scottish Executive, Census and local authorities to see exactly what the ethnic backgrounds of people living in certain areas were.
• To enable the diagnosis and treatment of disease by GPs and the NHS as a whole. For example, if a patient was of South Asian background a GP might be alerted to check for diabetes in certain circumstances. Alternatively, the data might be used to map susceptibility of entire communities to certain illnesses and identify similar links to be used in future diagnoses.

"The medical profession would probably be different because there's people's genes are different, you know, so they probably need to know. They need maybe, require a lot more than what anybody else would need to know, as to where you came from and things like that…. I think is it some part Catholic Asia, too, they're very [susceptible to] diabetes and things like that. So I think really doctors and that need to know more about a person's background than what anybody else would need to know." (Female, Age 65+, Interview No.25)

• To allow organisations and the Government to monitor diversity among employees and populations. In situations such as recruitment or education this data could be used to check access to opportunities, so that companies and institutions could compare their intakes of ethnic minorities in comparison to the population in the area, and also track their progress. This would also enable them to monitor discrimination and disadvantage. Some respondents stressed the need for this in the context of the Race Relations Amendment Act.

"As far as I'm aware the local authority collects that data for employment purposes, to monitor [the number of people in their organisation]…. I think the health, the NHS, and to a degree I think the Police does, especially the Race Relation Amendment Act 2000. Now a lot more organisations have got the responsibility to promote equality." (Male, Age 35-49, Interview No.20)

• To monitor changes in descriptors for ethnicity. Respondents said that asking people about their ethnic background would enable people analysing the data to keep up to date with changes to the way data providers described themselves, and also with descriptions of new or different ethnic groups.

"I guess, to [help] other organisations and just see how they can improve their descriptions… [of] ethnicity…. 'You're going to different people to get their opinions on what ethnicity is. … They don't like it when you use this term; could you think of something else to categorise' - you know." (Female, Age 23, Interview No.33)

Allocation of services and resources

5.17 Respondents emphasised that knowing people's ethnicity would allow services and resources (especially faith or language resources) to be targeted in the most cost-effective and efficient way, whilst also allowing them to be tailored to specific ethnic groups. For example, a Gypsy Traveller respondent acknowledged the need to collect data on ethnicity in education, given the very specific educational needs of families who travel around. People also said that combining data on ethnicity with geographical data would allow services to be provided in the places they were needed most.

"I think, for example, if they know that there are hundreds of Muslims living in Stirling, then the council should make sure they provide things for their needs, for example, mosques, and that will go down very well for these because it's a big group There's a couple of families living in Stirling who are Muslim, it doesn't mean they justify, and if it expands then they would be able to have a mosque. That's just an example. So I think it's important to collect that data, but why you're collecting, the reason for collecting should be to facilitate them for their needs, and if they're doing that, it's good." (Male, Age 52, Interview No.30)

Other agendas

5.18 Some were concerned that the collection of data on ethnicity would further more sinister agendas, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

5.19 The concern was expressed that where statistics were gathered on ethnicity, these could be manipulated by a data user with an agenda to present some ethnic minority groups in an unfavourable light.

"Well when they collect it, they say it's confidential but yeah, true it's confidential because you don't see it in the Evening News or whatever. … But it doesn't mean that, you know, that small particular group of people who got the decision making [can't] manipulate it to their own… personal agenda." (Male, Age 35-49, Interview No.17)

5.20 People also thought that employers could use the information that was ostensibly being gathered to prevent discrimination in order to discriminate against people of the "wrong" ethnic background. They felt that this could be done in a subtle way to make it appear as though they were not differentiating between ethnic groups.

"I see it sometime as a means of discrimination… they say, oh it's confidential, oh put it in a different envelope…. It could be used as a means of [discriminating by saying,] 'okay we got here ten applications … you know, we're probably just going to call in for an interview one [ethnic minority applicant] just to make it nice', and you know, it worries me." (Male, Age 35-49, Interview No.17)

There were those who said that they had personal experience of this:

"It brings to mind an incident in my early management career as quite a young man, working for a big company. And the owners of that business had received an anonymous letter [saying] that only people of a certain religious background were being hired. And he sent for me to investigate how, was there any substance to this accusation. And yes, there was." (Male, Age 65+, Interview No.28)

Respondents therefore made a number of assumptions about the reasons companies and bodies were collecting data on ethnicity, not all of which were positive. Some of these affected the way in which they responded to the questions on ethnicity; and both whether they would, and how happy they were to, give the information.

« Previous | Contents | Next »