Ethnicity mapping
Ethnicity was a free-text field in the original dataset; these have been mapped to the broad and narrow 2021 UK Census categories. The lookup csv file (see bottom of this page) includes the mappings, and also a 'standardised ethnicity' column which seeks to harmonise identical ethnicities where these were originally recorded differently. The standardised ethnicity column is to be used in conjunction with categorised ethnicity as some ethnicities recorded in this column appear in multiple categories e.g. Armenian appears in both White and Asian groups and Chechnyan in the White and Other groups.
Further detail on mapping
- Minor misspellings have been corrected (See 'Notes' column of lookup)
- Some ethnicities were treated as missing if not clear
- If a ethnicity is explicitly stated (e.g. White, Black, Asian, Arabic, Caucasian, African), this takes precedence over additional information that may indicate nationality rather than ethnicity (e.g. British, Italian)
- Individuals were only be classified as "Mixed" if they explicitly self-identify as mixed (e.g. use the term "mixed") or if two distinct ethnicities are clearly stated. Individuals were not classified as mixed based solely on combinations that may represent nationalities rather than ethnicities.
- Turkish is included in White ethnicity unless further information to the contrary provided
