People in the Midlands see themselves as more 'English' than 'British'

People in the Midlands identify themselves more as 'English' than 'British'.

That's according to an exclusive survey by YouGov, commissioned by ITV News Central.

The poll found 33% saw themselves as more English than British, while only 18% said they felt more British than English. 38% said they identified equally as both.

We asked passengers at Birmingham and East Midlands Airport what they thought about Britishness.

Over the last five years, the strength of that feeling has changed too. Of those who said they were more British, 17% said their identity had got stronger.

Compare that with those that said they identified more English - more than a quarter (28%) of this group said the strength of their identity had got weaker.

The reasons as to why people gave those answers vary. 15% said the strength of their identity had been affected by Brexit, or matters relating to the European Union, while 8% said it was because they are proud or patriotic.

Speaking to ITV News about the results, Dr Robert Beckford, a Professor of Theology and Sociology, and cultural critic, said:

Our survey also showed people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community mostly feel British rather than English. 40% said they identified as British, compared with 9% who said English.

In contrast, 35% of white people said they were English, and 16% said British.

When looking at age differences, the survey showed a trend that older people are more likely to say they are English rather than British.

Similarly, men are more likely to do the same, compared with women.

When asked what words best describe what being 'British' and 'English' means, a common response was 'because I was born there, or live there'.