Citizens, Society and the State The demographics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland By: John Anderson
Apr 01, 2015
Citizens, Society and the State
The demographics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandBy: John Anderson
The United Kingdom
Culture of the United Kingdom
History
Major Cities
1. London – 9.8 m
2. Manchester – 2.7 m
3. W. Midlands – 2.7 m
4. W. Yorkshire – 2.2 m
5. Liverpool – 864 k
Nations
• England: 53.0 m (83.9%)
• Scotland: 5.3 m (8.4%)
• Wales: 3.1 m (4.8%)
• N. Ireland: 1.8 m (2.9%)
Political Map
• Conservatives won most recent election, with David Cameron current Prime Minister
• Key:o Conservatives = Blueo Liberal Democrats =
Orangeo Labor = Red
Geography
• Scottish Highlands visible
• Wales also mountainous
• England quite arable & flat relative to rest of Britain
Public Spending
Obesity Rates
Societal Cleavages
Differences between the people of a state• Ethnicity
• Religion
• Class
• Region
• Urban/rural
• Gender
Ethnicity of England
• British whites – 79.8%• Irish/Gypsy – 1.1%• Other whites – 4.6%• Asian (mostly non-Oriental) – 7.8%• Black (Caribbean) – 1.1%• Black (African) – 1.8%• Arab – 0.4%• Mixed – 2.0%
Ethnicity of Wales
• British white – 93.2%• Irish/Gypsy - .6%• Other whites – 1.8%• Asian (mostly non-Oriental) – 2.3%• Black (Caribbean) - .4%• Black (African) - .1%• Arab - .3%• Mixed – 1.0%
Ethnicity of Northern Ireland
• British white – 98.2%• Gypsy - .1%• Asian (mostly non-Oriental) – 1.1%• Black - .2%• Arab – Negligible• Mixed - .3%
Religion in the United Kingdom
Religion
Source: British Social Attitudes Survey
Class
Historically, the estates class system was in place, with nobles, clergy, and commoners
Post-WWII considerable, gradual shiftSeven distinct classes:
o Eliteo Established Middleo Technical Middleo New Affluento Traditional Workingo Emergent Service Sectoro Precariat
Wealth Gap
• UK GINI coefficient is ~32• US GINI coefficient is ~40
Region
• 4 nations• 74% of people from Wales identify as
Welsh• Scottish people are largely identified by
accent and language• Northern Irish identify as
o 1) 35% Britisho 2) 32% Irisho 3) 27% Northern Irisho 4) 6% Other (Ulster)
Urban/Rural
• Urban: 79.6% (49.3 million)• Rural: 20.4% (12.6 million)• http://
www.geohive.com/earth/pop_urban.aspx
Gender
Males: 31.029 m (49.11%)
Females: 32.153 m (50.89%)
Other: Negligible
Civil Society
• 900,000 civil society organizations
• Highly advanced democracy, similar to United States.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
Interest Groups
• Pluralist interest group system
• Biggest ones are1. Greenpeace2. Virgin Climate Change ISA3. The Electoral Reform Society4. The Democracy Movement5. STAND
Interest Group System/Social Capital
• Weak party loyalty increases power of interest groups
• Parliamentary systems in general are more adherent to party platform, UK included
Media
• is state-owned
• Private competitors are
and plc
• 3.75 hours TV & 2.81 hours radio each day
• Newspapers divided into broadsheets and tabloids
Television Channels & Radio
• 5 channels – BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 & Channel 5 are transmitted for free
• Cable is provided by Virgin Media
• BBC dominates radio
Political Participation
• Voting in national election: 65.1%
• Discusses politics: 46%
• Political party activity: 3%
• Interest Group participation: 7%
• Petition signing: 81%
• Lawful Protest: 13%
Voting Trends and Rates
Voting Trends and Rates
Voting Trends and Rates
Voting Trends and Rates
Social Movements
• Britain has spearheaded many movements, including the anti-slavery movement
• “New” social movements emerged post-WWII