A significant shift in how the British public defines national identity has been revealed in a major new poll, with a growing proportion believing that being born in the country is a core component of being British.
A Growing Belief in Birthright
The survey, conducted by YouGov for the left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think-tank this month, found that one in three people (33%) now believe 'Britishness' is something a person must be born with. This marks a sharp increase from just two years ago, when less than one in five (19%) held this view.
Furthermore, more than half (53%) of the 2,370 adults surveyed stated that being born in Britain is an important part of being British. A quarter of respondents, however, said birthplace was 'not important at all'.
The results highlight a clear divergence in opinion between white Britons and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. Individuals from minority groups were far more likely to believe that heritage, birthplace, and ancestry are unimportant or totally inessential to British identity.
Divides on Pride, Institutions, and Ancestry
The poll uncovered pronounced generational and political splits on pride in Britain. Among people aged 65 and over, 83% said they were proud of Britain's history, but this figure plummeted to just half that level among 18 to 24-year-olds.
A similar gap was evident regarding the Armed Forces, with 87% of older people expressing pride compared to only 42% of younger adults.
The political divide was equally stark. While 87% of Conservative voters declared pride in British history, only 54% of Labour supporters agreed. On pride in the Armed Forces, 88% of Tories were proud versus 68% of Labourites.
Regarding respect for institutions, 91% of white respondents said it was important to respect Britain's political institutions and laws, compared to 83% of ethnic minorities.
In a sign of the nation's secular character, just 17% thought being Christian was important to Britishness. Overall, 51% said having British ancestry was not important, a view held by 76% of non-white participants.
Traditional Views and a Unifying Feeling
The survey indicated that supporters of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party held some of the most traditional views. More than a third (37%) of Reform voters said they would be prouder of Britain if there were fewer people from minority ethnic backgrounds in ten years' time. One in ten (10%) even stated that having white skin was important to being a good British citizen.
Despite the many divides, a strong unifying thread emerged: a high proportion of all people, 76% overall, agreed that feeling British was an important part of actually being British.
These findings come in the wake of recent controversies, such as the case of 12-year-old Courtney Wright, who was banned from her school's culture day for wearing a Union Flag dress to celebrate her British identity.
The IPPR poll provides a comprehensive snapshot of public attitudes towards Britishness, showing how concepts of nationality, pride, and belonging are evolving—and fracturing—across different segments of UK society.
