The British Social Attitudes survey usually involves interviews with about 3,300 people, chosen at random. Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA

Is racial prejudice racism and how do we know if one, the other or either exists? Do we believe that racism persists? Perhaps we are comfortable with the notion that others are racist, but surely not we. If you were called a racist, how would you respond? Likely not well. What if only your actions were questioned; would that make a difference? How about your neighbor, your friend, or family – how do you perceive them to be? Touchy? Tender or trying to come to terms with what is within them selves to see?

The term “racist” is one that evokes ferocious response. Can racism be measured? Can we really gage racial prejudice? What can we tell from a tweet? As mentioned in an earlier essay, measures are rarely if ever complete. People may pose as tolerant and actually they may believe them selves to be. But what is seen in their actions – in our own actions, conscious or not what is it that is revealed? You may wonder who would admit to racial prejudice; we all truly believe we love our brethren.

Yet, frequently we find dichotomies and work to grapple with these differences. Who we are is not in question – all people are beautiful – what we do, that can be a troubling issue. Today, throughout much of the world we have segregated neighborhoods, separate and unequal schools. Cities are gentrified; people are priced out of their homes. We might say communities were saved, or that, of course, people gravitate to those who are similar to them selves. And this may be true, just as other possibilities might also exist. Huh? What possibilities?

Our attitudes often remain hidden. Only at times do we allow ourselves to see. An overt statement. A covert belief. None of us wishes to think that we might be prejudice. To be called a racist would jar our senses. To assess our selves, that is the tale never fully told. We can only measure and muse….

Racism in the UK: Can We Really Measure Racial Prejudice?
You may wonder who would admit to racial prejudice. Here is how the BSA arrived at its figures, and what they show

By Alison Park | Originally Published at Guardian. May 27, 2014

The British Social Attitudes survey usually involves interviews with about 3,300 people, chosen at random. Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA

The Guardian has reported new data from the British Social Attitudes survey showing that three in 10 people describe themselves as being very or a little racially prejudiced. As the co-director of this survey, I would like to use this space to explain how we arrived at these numbers, and outline the sorts of issues we consider when interpreting attitudinal data.

The question records self-reported levels of racism. We ask it during a face-to-face interview, following a “warm-up” question about whether the person thinks levels of racial prejudice have increased or not over the last five years. The precise question wording is: “How would you describe yourself … as very prejudiced against people of other races, a little prejudiced, or not prejudiced at all?” In 2013, 3% described themselves as “very prejudiced”, 27% said they were “a little prejudiced”, and 68% said they were “not prejudiced at all” (a further 2% said they did not know). To get to the findings that have made headlines today, we grouped those who describe themselves as “a little” and “very” prejudiced into a single category (“some prejudice”).

Looking at the results over time may surprise people. The proportion with some prejudice in 2013 (30%) is lower than the proportion who gave this answer in 1983 (36%), but this disguises some considerable change over the years. In particular, it’s notable that prejudice fell a great deal during the 1990s (reaching a low of 25% in 2000 and 2001) – but then shot up between 2001 and 2002 (from 25% in 2001 to 31% in 2002). The highest level recorded was in 2010, when 37% described themselves as prejudiced.

You may well be wondering how we carry out the survey and select our sample. Each year, addresses are randomly selected from the Post Office’s postcode address file. We write to the inhabitants, and then it is up to our interviewers to knock on their doors and convince people to take part. We usually interview around 3,300 people each year. Once the survey is over we compare the profile of the people we have spoken to with the true demographic makeup of Britain (as recorded by the census) to make sure that our results are properly representative.

You may also be wondering who would admit to racial prejudice, particularly in a face-to-face interview with a stranger? It’s a good point, and one that troubles survey methodologists who see it as an example of what is called “social desirability bias”. There is no simple way around this – but one way in which we can check the validity of the answers we get is to see how they tally with responses to other relevant questions. This shows that there is a strong connection – so someone who describes themselves as racially prejudiced is more likely than someone else to think that immigration undermines Britain’s cultural life, or say they would mind if one of their relatives married someone of (for example) Asian origin.

It’s important to recognise that these findings are not indicative of anything other than how many people describe themselves as racially prejudiced in an interview situation. They are not indicative of an increase in racially motivated crime, workplace discrimination or a nation catapulting to the far right. They are, nonetheless, significant and show that the fight against racism is no fait accompli. So who have campaigners left to convince?

The answer from our 2013 survey is that the highest levels of prejudice are found among older generations, the less well educated and those in less skilled occupations. Just over a third (36%) of the over-55s described themselves as prejudiced, compared with a quarter (25%) of 18- to 34-year-olds. And while one in five graduates (19%) say they are prejudiced, this is true of 38% of people with no qualifications.

Racial prejudice, in whatever guise, is undoubtedly still part of the national psyche. What attitudinal surveys like British Social Attitudes measure is subjective and personal, and words like “race” and “prejudice” are particularly culturally charged. So can we ever really know whether someone is racist from how they answer a survey question? No. But should we take someone’s word for it if they say that they harbour some racial prejudice? Of course.

• Alison Park is research group director at NatCen Social Research and co-director of the British Social Attitudes survey