New polling by More in Common revealing a limited public understanding of Black British history raises questions about whether there should be a review of Black History education across the UK.
Overview
The new research shows that the public knows more about Black American history than the role of Black Britons in shaping the UK’s national story.
For example, 52 per cent of Britons know either a great deal or something about Rosa Parks’ bus boycott but just 27 per cent say they know either a great deal or something about the Bristol bus boycotts.
Black Britons overwhelmingly believe there is not enough emphasis on Black History in the school curriculum.56 per cent of Black Britons choose that option with 27 per cent suggesting there is about the right amount, 11 per cent saying there is too much and 6 per cent saying they don’t know.
Gen Z is the most likely generation to say there is not enough emphasis on Black History in the school curriculum. 38 per cent of Gen Z respondents say there is too little emphasis, with 34 per cent saying there is about the right amount, 15 per cent saying there is too much and 14 per cent saying they don’t know.
One of the most striking findings reveals that younger generations were less likely to correctly identify the main reason why Black people make up the largest ethnic group in the Caribbean. 28 per cent of millennials chose slavery and the transportation of people from Africa as the correct option (the least of all generations), whilst 45 per cent of those aged 75 plus got the correct answer.
More in Common also found that public opinion is split on whether there is too much or too little emphasis on Black History in both the school curriculum and the UK more broadly.
Notably, younger generations are more likely to call for greater discussion of Black History in the UK but also to have a more limited knowledge of it than older generations.
Key findings
- Knowledge Gap: Britons demonstrate significantly greater knowledge of Black American history than Black British history.
- Limited Understanding: Overall comprehension of Black history, both British and American, is limited across the population.
- Generational Divide: Younger Britons are more likely to advocate for increased Black history education but possess less awareness of Black history than older generations.
- Racial Disparity: White Britons tend to perceive an overemphasis on Black history, despite displaying more limited knowledge themselves, contrasting with Black Britons' desire for increased focus on Black History in school curriculums and the UK more broadly.
- American vs. British History: 52 per cent of Britons know either a great deal or something about Rosa Parks’ bus boycott but just 27 per cent say they know either a great deal or something about the Bristol bus boycotts.
- Limited Historical Knowledge: Only 34 per cent correctly identified the transatlantic slave trade as the primary reason for the Caribbean's majority Black population.
- Public Opinion Split: 34 per cent believe there's too much focus on Black history, 34 per cent believe it's the right amount, and 19 per cent believe there's too little.
Our polling suggests that the British public has a limited understanding of the key events in Black British history with awareness of key events in the Black History of America greater. As Black History Month comes to an end, this central finding shows the need for policymakers, education leaders and campaigners to come together and address this gap in the public’s understanding of our national story and the contribution of Black Britons to the development of the United Kingdom. Strengthening the focus in the UK on the teaching of Black British History - rather than just the Black History of America - should provide a useful starting point from leaders across British society to come together and find a common ground in Britain’s at times contentious debate about Black History.
Chris Annous - Associate, More in Common
Findings in Full
Britons know much more about American Black History than they know about British Black History
Of the seven key events in British Black History that we tested self-reported awareness of, only three (the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the abolition of slavery and the arrival of the Windrush Generation) saw Brits report an awareness equal to or greater than the least well known of the three American Black History events we tested in comparison.
Just 28 per cent of Brits report that they know either a great deal or something about the Bristol bus boycotts of 1963. This is just over half of the equivalent figure, 53 per cent, for the boycott of segregated bus services led by Rosa Parks in Alabama in 1955.
As there is a tendency for survey respondents to overreport their awareness about historical and political events, a control event was included in this question in the form of the election of the first Black Leader of a major British political party [An event which hasn’t happened yet.] More people stated they knew about this false event, 31 per cent, than knew about the work of nurse Mary Seacole in the Crimean War, 30 per cent, or the Bristol bus boycotts, 28 per cent.
More Brits, 57 per cent, know about the campaigning of Martin Luther King than know about any of the British Black History events we tested.
Knowledge about Black British History is limited in the UK
Asked for the main reason why Black people make up the largest ethnic group in the Caribbean, only one in three Brits selected the correct answer - the transportation of African slaves to the Caribbean as part of the slave trade. 21 per cent of Brits answered that the indigenous population of the Caribbean is Black and 12 per cent suggested it was because lots of Black people from Africa and the United States have migrated there in recent decades. 29 per cent selected don’t know and 4 per cent said none of the above.
Notably, those who believe there is too much discussion/emphasis on Black History in the UK were less likely to know the main reason why Black people make up the largest ethnic group in the Caribbean - only 31 per cent of those who think there is too much discussion/emphasis on Black History in the UK got the correct answer. In comparison 42 per cent of those who think there isn’t enough discussion/emphasis on Black History in the UK got the correct answer.
Younger generations were less likely to correctly identify the main reason why Black people make up the largest ethnic group in the Caribbean. 28 per cent of millennials chose the correct option (the least of all generations), whilst 45 per cent of 75+ Silent Generation members got the correct answer.
Britons are split on where is too much or too little discussion of Black History in the UK
34 per cent of Britons think there is too much discussion/emphasis about Black History in the UK. 34 per cent of Brits say there is about the right amount of discussion and emphasis and 19 per cent say there is too little emphasis. 13 per cent say they don’t know.
There is significant variation in attitudes towards this question across different groups.
By 37 per cent to 17 per cent - White Britons are more likely to think that there is too much discussion/emphasis about Black History in the UK than think there is too little.
In contrast, by 38 per cent to 12 per cent, Black Britons are more likely to think that there is too little discussion/emphasis about Black History in the UK than think there is too much.
By 35 per cent to 16 per cent - Gen Z Brits are more likely to think that there is too little discussion/emphasis of Black History in the UK than think there is too much.
In contrast - Silent Gen Brits (those aged over 75) are more likely (by 46 per cent to 10 per cent) think that there is too much discussion/emphasis on Black History in the UK than think there is too little.
Britons are less clear about whether there is the right amount of emphasis on Black History in the school curriculum
Asked whether there is too much or too little emphasis on Black History in the school curriculum, Brits are evenly split. 25 per cent say there is too much discussion/emphasis, 26 per cent say there is about the right amount, 21 per cent say there is not enough discussion of Black History on the curriculum and 28 per cent say they don’t know.
Again, there is significant variation in attitudes towards this question across different groups:
White Britons are most likely to say they don’t know if the emphasis on Black History in school curriculums is right. 28 per cent opt for this, with 26 per cent saying there is about the right amount of emphasis, 27 per cent say there is too much emphasis and 18 per cent say there is too little.
In contrast, Black Britons overwhelmingly believe there is not enough emphasis on Black History in the curriculum. 56 per cent of Black Brits opt for this, with 27 per cent suggesting there is about the right amount, 11 per cent saying there is too much and 6 per cent say they don’t know.
Gen Z Brits are the most likely to say that there is not enough emphasis on Black History in the school curriculum. 38 per cent of Gen Z Brits say there is too little emphasis, with 34 per cent saying there is about the right amount, 15 per cent saying there is too much and 14 per cent saying they don’t know.