Population and ethnicity statistics

You asked

Please provide the following 2011 Census information:

• the number of and the percentage of the population of England that listed themselves with an ethnicity or background as British under the category White

• the population of England

• the number of and percentage of the people in the category White in the population of England that listed themselves as British

• the number and percentage of the category White in the population of England that listed themselves as Irish

• the number and percentage of mixed race people in the population of England that listed their national identity as English

• the number of White British in England who gave English as their National Identity

• the number of White British in each of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who gave English as their National Identity

• the percentage of and the number of White British in the 2011 census area who gave English as their National Identity

• the number of people who specified English as their identity in the "Other Ethnic Group" category of the 2011 census form

• the number of people who specified Cornish as their identity in the "Other Ethnic Group" category of the 2011 census

• the number of people who specified Cornish as their national identity in the "Other" National Identity category of the 2011 census

• the legal or administrative meaning of the phrase "National Identity"

We presume this is merely a question of asking the computer to do the calculation if not already done.

We said

Information on the total population of England and Wales together with more detailed statistics on specific characteristics including ethnic group and national identity have been extracted from the 2011 Census and summarised in a series of tables. Further details explaining the information that has been provided is set out below.

Table 1 - the total estimated population of England and Wales based on a count of those usually resident at the time of the census on 27th March 2011. A usual resident is anyone who, on census day, was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

Table 2 (QS211EW) - detailed breakdowns by ethnic group based on individuals perceived ethnic group and cultural background. The statistics cover the number and percentage of persons in each of the main ethnic groups, including ‘White’, ‘Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups’, ‘Asian/Asian British’, ‘Black/African/Caribbean/Black British’, ‘Other ethnic group’, and related sub-groups.

Table 3 (DC2202EW) - provides statistics on national identity by ethnic group including both numbers and percentages. Please note a person’s national identity is a self-determined assessment of their own identity with respect to the country or countries with which they feel an affiliation. This assessment of identity is not dependent on legal nationality or ethnic group.

Tables 4 and 5 (KS202EW) - details of the number and percentage of those with various national identities in England and Wales. Please note identities include ‘English only’, ‘English and British only’, ‘Welsh only’, ‘Welsh and British only’, ‘Scottish only’ ‘Scottish and British only’, ‘Northern Irish only’, ‘Northern Irish and British only’, ‘British only’, ‘Irish only’ and ‘Cornish’.

In all cases the amount and type of information that can be provided is affected by the scope and content of the questions included on the census form. This is especially relevant in the case of the question on ethnic group. Those identifying themselves as ‘White’ were asked to select one of four categories - (i) ‘English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British’, (ii) ‘Irish’, (iii) ‘Gypsy or Irish Traveller’ or (iv) ‘Any Other White’ background. In view of these limitations it is not possible to provide separate information on ‘White British’.

Further information on census definitions, variables and classifications including details relating to the national identity question can be accessed from this link.

The Office for National Statistics is responsible of the Census in England and Wales and therefore if you require supplementary statistics for Scotland or Northern Ireland you will need to contact National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

If you require further information from the 2011 Census for England and Wales this may be accessed from the nomis website or by contacting the Census Customer Services Team at census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk. It is not necessary to make a Freedom of Information request.