Geography, ethnicity, genealogy and inter‐generational social inequality in Great Britain

Abstract

This paper documents population‐wide inequalities of outcome in Great Britain amongst and between long‐established and more recently arrived family groups. ‘Establishment’ is defined using family group presence in the 1851 Census of Population as a benchmark, and the ethnicity or nationality of more recent migrants is determined through classification of given and family names. Inequalities of outcome are measured using a harmonised indicator of neighbourhood deprivation (hardship). White British individuals tend to live in the best neighbourhoods, but within‐group inequalities reflect regional locations in which different family names were first coined 700 or more years ago. The living circumstances of White Irish and Chinese migrants are observed to be in line with long‐established White British family lines, but other conventionally defined ethnic groups fare worse, some very markedly so. Disaggregation of conventional ethnic groups used by the Office for National Statistics such as White Other and Other Asian reveals stark within‐group inequalities. These findings suggest: (a) regional origins of inter‐generational inequalities amongst the White British; (b) comparable neighbourhood environments experienced by the White Irish, Chinese and some White Other groups and (c) significantly worse neighbourhood circumstances within and between other more recently arrived immigrant groups. This work has several implications for understanding economic assimilation of migrants and the existence of inequalities amongst and between populations.