BBC: The English question: Young are less proud of nationality

03 June 2018

Young people are far less likely to feel proud to be English than older generations, a major survey for the BBC reveals.

Eight out of 10 people in England identify strongly as English but pride varies by age.

YouGov surveyed 20,081 people and found 72% of over-65s are proud to be English, compared with 45% of 18-24s.

Half of those surveyed think England was better in the past, with one in six believing its best days lie ahead.

Humour, tradition and good manners are the characteristics most associated with being English.

The poll was conducted for the BBC's The English Question project and is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. Respondents were asked to complete a detailed online questionnaire on identity and belonging.

The results of the survey highlighted that:

• Parts of Lincolnshire and the Midlands identity particularly strongly as English, with more than nine out of 10 respondents saying they felt very strongly or fairly strongly English
• London, Oxford and Cambridge are at the opposite end, with between 32% and 45% of respondents saying they did not identify strongly as English
• English pride is felt by about two thirds of people in coastal and former industrial towns but less than half of people in major cities like Liverpool and Manchester
• In London boroughs such as Hackney and Lambeth, pride in being English is felt only 37% and 38% of people respectively
• The further from London someone lives, the more they identify with a particular part of England

Full article on BBC

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