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