The Maintenance and Transformation of Ethnicity: Evidence on Mixed Partnerships in Britain

Statistics from the 2001 census of population in England and Wales reveal the extent of ethnic and religious mixing among married and cohabiting couples. Non-marital cohabitation and mixed marriages are infrequent in the South Asian (Hindu, Sikh and Muslim) groups; they are common among the Black and especially the mixed ethnicity subpopulations. Mixed partnerships influence the future ethnic composition of the country, and there are signs that the Black Caribbean group is merging into the general population