Culture Clash or Culture Club? The Identity and Attitudes of Immigrants in Britain

Alan Manning () and Sanchari Roy

CEP Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Performance, LSE

Abstract: There is economic evidence that diversity has consequences for economic performance (see Alesinaand La Ferrara, 2005). This might have consequences for immigration policy - how many immigrantsto allow into a country and from what cultural background. But, central to such a discussion is thepace of cultural assimilation among immigrants - this under-researched topic is the focus of thispaper. It investigates the extent and determinants of British identity among those living in Britain andthe views on rights and responsibilities in societies. We find no evidence for a culture clash in general,and one connected with Muslims in particular. The vast majority of those born in Britain, of whateverethnicity or religion, think of themselves as British and we find evidence that third-generationimmigrants are more likely to think of themselves as British than second generation. Newly arrivedimmigrants almost never think of themselves as British but the longer they remain in the UK, themore likely it is that they do. This process of assimilation is faster for those from poorer and lessdemocratic countries, even though immigrants from these countries are often regarded as a particularcause for concern. Our analysis of rights and responsibilities finds much smaller differences in viewsbetween the UK-born and immigrants than within the UK-born population.

Keywords: Immigration; Identity; Assimilation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec, nep-ltv, nep-mig and nep-soc
Date: 2007-04
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0790

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