British Sikhs to get ethnicity status in 2021 census: Report
Britain's strong Sikh community is set to be listed in the 2021 census as a distinct ethnicity rather than only as a religion, the UK Statistics Authority said. The major step will give the community a fair access to all public services. Last year, over 100 British MPs asked the authority to include Sikh as a separate "ethnic box" for 2021 census. Here's more.
83,000 Sikhs refused to tick any choice in ethnicity space
In the most recent census in 2011, more than 83,000 Sikhs refused to tick any of the choices in the question on ethnicity, rejecting options such as Indian in order to write "Sikh" in the space for "any other ethnic group", UK Statistics Authority said.
ONS concerned whether move would have backing of all Sikhs
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had raised concerns over the issue of "public acceptability" and whether the move would have backing across Britain's 430,000-strong Sikh community. The all-party parliamentary group for British Sikhs offered to write to Gurdwaras to assist the ONS with its public consultation. Sikhs are already recognized as a separate religion within an optional religious question introduced in the 2001-Census.
Sikhs are legally recognized ethnic group under Race Relations Act
Sikhs are a legally recognized ethnic group under the UK's Race Relations Act, 1976 and campaigners for the change believe this gives them a right to be able to identify themselves separately from current census options, such as Indian or British Indian.
Almost quarter of British Sikhs chose Sikh as their ethnicity
In preparation for the 2021 census, which is expected to be conducted largely online, the ONS ran a test version of the census in 2017 with "Sikh" included as an option under ethnicity in areas with large Sikh populations. It found that almost a quarter of those who specified Sikhism as their religion also chose Sikh as their ethnicity.
