citizens, society and the state the demographics of the united kingdom of great britain and northern...

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