National Pride is Falling as Britain ‘Redefines Itself’, Survey Finds

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) said its survey aimed to assess whether people’s conception of who is “truly British” is primarily “ethnic” or “civic” in character, and how much this has changed over the last thirty years.
Researchers said the findings suggest Britain has become more “inclusive” in its attitudes, and that “civic” qualities, such as having British citizenship, respecting the laws of the land and “feeling” British were more important than having been born in the UK.
NatCen, which published the latest chapter of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) report on Tuesday, said the apparent change in views over a decade could reflect increased diversity and “shared citizenship.”
The majority (86 percent) say it is important that someone respects British political institutions and laws, but just 19 percent now think that it is impotant to be a Christian in order to be British—down from 24 percent in 2013.
The BSA report noted that “British” is not the only national identity in the UK, given that it is a “multinational country” consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Pointing to nationalism in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it stated: “Each of the UK’s component parts has its own sense of national identity, or in the case of Northern Ireland, contested identities. In the three nations other than England there are political parties with significant support that advocate leaving the UK.”
The research revealed that 65 percent of Brexiteers believe British ancestry matters to being British, whereas only 42 percent of Scottish independence supporters feel ancestry is important for being Scottish.
The NatCen survey showed that overall there had been a steep decline in the proportion of people who take pride in the country’s achievements.
The report said there is evidence that the “culture wars” debate around empire and slavery have had an impact on the public’s “pride in the past.”
While 86 percent stated that they were proud of Britain’s history in 2013, this fell to less than two thirds (64 percent) 10 years on.
Just over half (53 percent) professed pride in how Britain’s democracy works, down from 69 percent in 2013, and just over four in 10 (44 percent) said they are proud of Britain’s economic achievements—down from 57 percent in 2013.
“These research findings show that whilst we are less likely to take pride in British history and more critical about its politics, there is still a great deal of national pride in the country’s cultural and sporting achievements.
“This change in attitudes may have been influenced by the increased diversity and shared citizenship within Britain, presenting a portrait of a nation redefining itself.”
The findings come just a week after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in his first major speech since taking office, referred to the summer riots stemming from anti-immigration protests as having “revealed a deeply unhealthy society” which “exposed the state of our nation.”
Starmer said the violent disorder had revealed, “The cracks in our foundation … weakened by a decade of division and decline, infected by a spiral of populism.”