Racial prejudice in Scotland remains persistent, study shows

Fewer than half of Scots believe the Scottish Government is doing enough to tackle racism, a poll found as figures revealed more than a third of black and ethnic minority people have suffered discrimination in the past two years.

Research - which had findings in line with similar studies published in 2015 and 2017 - shows incidents have been persistent in Scotland over a six-year period.

It also reveals belief that ministers are doing enough to tackle racism has fallen from more than 50% in 2017 to 42% this year, despite political action to address the issue.

At least a quarter of those surveyed by the University of Edinburgh and the polling company Survation said they feel discrimination in Scotland has become more prevalent.

Of those who have experienced prejudice, 25% felt it had happened when applying for a job, 18% said it had affected promotion chances, and another 18% believed it impacted attempts to seek equal pay.

The Scottish Government introduced a Race Equality Framework in 2016 which was designed to tackle racial discrimination.

Lead researcher Professor Nasar Meer, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science, said: “This survey builds on others in previous years and points to a persistent trend of racial discrimination of black and ethnic minority Scots.

“It is encouraging that black and ethnic minority Scots still have faith in Scottish institutions to tackle racism, but this trust has decreased over time.

“Although levels of non-reporting have improved, they still remain high so more targeted support is needed to help overcome this.''

Researchers asked a statistically representative sample of more than 500 black and ethnic minority people in Scotland a range of questions exploring whether they have been affected by racial discrimination.

Instances of prejudice may include name-calling, the use of inappropriate language, incidents on public transport and prejudice in the workplace.

Discrimination at work could include unfair assumptions about an employee's ability in relation to promotion, or employers not wanting a particular racial profile to become the public face of an organisation.

More than one third - 35% - reported experiencing discrimination while using transport services and 20% when accessing healthcare.

A significant majority - 89% - felt this was because of their perceived ethnicity, while 66% felt it was also based on their perceived religion.

Certain black and ethnic minority groups reported higher levels of discrimination than others, the study found.

Some 37% with a black African Caribbean heritage said they have experienced prejudice in Scotland in the past two years, compared with 35% of those of Asian heritage, and 24% for mixed heritage respondents.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Racism and discrimination have no place in a modern and successful Scotland and we will continue to take decisive action to tackle it, including our campaign with Police Scotland to tackle hate crime, which explicitly calls out racists.

“In addition to our Race Equality Framework, which sets out our long-term goals, our Race Equality Action Plan outlines more than 120 actions we are taking over the course of this Parliament to secure better outcomes for minority ethnic communities in Scotland.''

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar, chairman of the cross-party group on tackling Islamophobia, said: “The results of this study are deeply concerning and should worry us all.

“Scotland is not immune from hatred and prejudice, and this research shows how much work we still have to do.

“Every Scot should look at this data and recognise that the fight against discrimination is a fight for all of us.''

The results of Holyrood's first public inquiry into Islamophobia will be released over the coming months.

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