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Do the ‘Asian’ categories in the British censuses adequately capture the Indian sub-continent diaspora population?

Aspinall, Peter J. (2012) Do the ‘Asian’ categories in the British censuses adequately capture the Indian sub-continent diaspora population? South Asian Dispora, 5 (2). pp. 179-195. ISSN 1943-8192. (doi:10.1080/19438192.2013.740226) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:32800)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19438192.2013.740226

Abstract

Categories that capture the Indian subcontinent-origin population – ‘Indian’, ‘Pakistani’, ‘Bangladeshi’ – have been included on all the British census forms (1991, 2001, 2011) that have asked about ethnicity. Additionally, a free-text ‘Any other Asian background’ option was added in 2001 and repeated in 2011. These ethnicities are regarded as amongst the more stable in the British censuses, with greater reliability than those for the black groups. However, analysis of longitudinal datasets raises concerns about the quality of the data for the UK-born Indian origin population. Moreover, some of the groups concealed in residual census categories – such as Sri Lankans - have grown significantly. Other communities, such as ‘Kashmiris’, have unsuccessfully sought inclusion in the 2011 Census. While such concerns should not inhibit the use of the Indian subcontinent census data, monitoring of the utility and validity of these categories is required to ensure that they continue to meet data users’ needs.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/19438192.2013.740226
Uncontrolled keywords: Indian sub\-continent, Asian, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, census
Subjects: D History General and Old World > DS Asia
J Political Science > JN Political institutions and public administration (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Centre for Health Services Studies
Depositing User: Tony Rees
Date Deposited: 14 Dec 2012 10:07 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:10 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/32800 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Aspinall, Peter J..

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