DOES BRITAIN HAVE GHETTOS

The British 1991 Census included a question on ethnic identity for the first time. This allows us to measure the extent of ethnic segregatio n in British cities on a much more reliable basis than has hitherto be en available. It also allows us to compare British levels of segregati on with those experienced by African Americans in the United States. B ritish levels of segregation are much lower than those found in the US A and, for the Black Caribbean population, they are falling. South Asi an levels of segregation are higher than for the Caribbean population but show considerable internal variation. Bangladeshis, the most recen tly arrived of the groups, show the highest levels of encapsulation, f ollowed by the Pakistanis, while Indian rates are relatively modest. I ndirect standardization indicates that the contribution of economic fa ctors to the observed levels of segregation is not substantial.