Fewer residents in Ashfield identify as English, newly published Census figures reveal

Jon Wroth-Smith, census deputy director, said the recent data highlights we are living in an “increasingly multi-cultural society” , with fewer people saying they belong to a particular nation.

The Office for National Statistics figures show 23% of people in Ashfield identified as English only when the census took place last year, down significantly from 76% in 2011.

And 53% selected British only in the recent survey while 12% chose the identity a decade ago.

Overall, about 96% of people in Ashfield chose any UK identity in 2021, down slightly from 98% in 2011.

Across England and Wales, 90 per cent of people identified with at least one UK national identity, down from 92 per cent in 2011.

The proportion of people identifying as English only saw the sharpest fall, from 58 per cent s10 years ago to 15 per cent last year.

Nationally, 55 per cent said they identified as British, up from 19 per cent in the previous census.

The census also revealed shifts in ethnicities, with the proportion of people identifying as white falling to 82 per cent last year from 86 per cent in 2011.

And 74 per cent of the total population identified their ethnic group as white English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British in the survey, down from 81 per cent in 2011.

About 95% of people identified as white in Ashfield in 2021, down from 98% in the previous census.

Additionally, 92% identified as white English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British – falling from 96% in the previous census.

Mr Wroth-Smith said: “The percentage of people identifying their ethnic group as ‘White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’, continues to decrease.

“While this remains the most common response to the ethnic group question, the number of people identifying with another ethnic group continues to increase.”

In Ashfield 1,968 residents, 2%, identified as Asian or Asian British and 1,575, 1%, selected black or black British as their ethnicity. A further 2,059, 2%, said they were mixed ethnicity.