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-Actual percentage:  8%</blockquote>
-Actual percentage:  8%</blockquote>


They gives as reference the Market & Opinion Reserch Inernational (MOı) but the only results we could find were in a Readers Digest report of a study Britain Today - "Åre We AN Intolerant Nation?" that MORi did for the Digest in 2000.  The Digest repprts:
Harpers gives as reference the Market & Opinion Reserch Inernational (MOı) but the only results on this issue  we could find were in a Readers Digest report of a [http://www.mori.com/polls/2000/rd-july.shtml study]  "Britain Today - Åre We AN Intolerant Nation?" that MORi did for the Digest in 2000.  The Digest reports:


 
*A massive eight in ten (80%) of British adults believe that refugees come to this country because they regard Britain as 'a soft touch'.
* A massive eight in ten (80%) of British adults believe that refugees come to this country because they regard Britain as 'a soft touch'.
*Two thirds (66%) think that 'there are too many immigrants in Britain'.
* Two thirds (66%) think that 'there are too many immigrants in Britain'.
* Almost two thirds (63%) feel that 'too much is done to help immigrants'.
* Almost two thirds (63%) feel that 'too much is done to help immigrants'.
* Nearly four in ten (37%) feel that those settling in this country 'should not maintain the culture and lifestyle they had at home'.
* Nearly four in ten (37%) feel that those settling in this country 'should not maintain the culture and lifestyle they had at home'.


The Digest goe on to say:
* Respondents grossly overestimated the financial aid asylum seekers receive, believing on average that an asylum seeker gets £113 a week to live on. In fact, a single adult seeking asylum gets £36.54 a week in vouchers to be spent at designated stores. Just £10 may be converted to cash.
* On average the public estimates that 20 per cent of the British population are immigrants. The real figure is around 4 per cent.
* Similarly, they believe that on average 26 per cent of the population belong to an ethnic minority. The real figure is around 7 per cent.


This is pretty close to the Harpers Index and it also gives us some idea why they might over-estimate the percentage.


This reminded Andrew of an [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A42062-2001Jul10 article]  in the  Washington Post by Richard Moral (October 8, 1995) in which he discussed the results of a Post/Keiser/Harvard [http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/1105-index.cfm servey] "Four Americas: Government and Social Policy Through the Eyes of America's Multi-racial and Multi-ethnic Society"
The Harper's Index comments reminded Andrew of an [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A42062-2001Jul10 article]  in the  Washington Post by Richard Moral (October 8, 1995) in which he discussed the results of a Post/Keiser/Harvard [http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/1105-index.cfm servey] "Four Americas: Government and Social Policy Through the Eyes of America's Multi-racial and Multi-ethnic Society"

Latest revision as of 18:07, 3 July 2005

http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/movabletype/mlm/ Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science] is statistcs Blog.  It is primarily written by Andrew Gelman, a professor in the Departments of Statistics and Political Science at Columbia University.

In a July 1,2005 posting Andrew continues an earlier discussion on mispercetion of minorities and minorities. This earlier discussion was inspired by a note from Tyler Cowen reporting that the March Harper's Index includes the statement:

-Average percentage of UK population that Britons believe to be immigrants: 21
-Actual percentage: 8%

Harpers gives as reference the Market & Opinion Reserch Inernational (MOı) but the only results on this issue we could find were in a Readers Digest report of a study "Britain Today - Åre We AN Intolerant Nation?" that MORi did for the Digest in 2000. The Digest reports:

  • A massive eight in ten (80%) of British adults believe that refugees come to this country because they regard Britain as 'a soft touch'.
  • Two thirds (66%) think that 'there are too many immigrants in Britain'.
  • Almost two thirds (63%) feel that 'too much is done to help immigrants'.
  • Nearly four in ten (37%) feel that those settling in this country 'should not maintain the culture and lifestyle they had at home'.

The Digest goe on to say:

  • Respondents grossly overestimated the financial aid asylum seekers receive, believing on average that an asylum seeker gets £113 a week to live on. In fact, a single adult seeking asylum gets £36.54 a week in vouchers to be spent at designated stores. Just £10 may be converted to cash.
  • On average the public estimates that 20 per cent of the British population are immigrants. The real figure is around 4 per cent.
  • Similarly, they believe that on average 26 per cent of the population belong to an ethnic minority. The real figure is around 7 per cent.

This is pretty close to the Harpers Index and it also gives us some idea why they might over-estimate the percentage.

The Harper's Index comments reminded Andrew of an article in the Washington Post by Richard Moral (October 8, 1995) in which he discussed the results of a Post/Keiser/Harvard servey "Four Americas: Government and Social Policy Through the Eyes of America's Multi-racial and Multi-ethnic Society"