Fewer people in South Tyneside identify as English

The figures from the Office for National Statistics show 16% of people in the area felt they were English only when the census took place last year – a figure that is down significantly from 73% in 2011.

The data also shows 62% selected British only - which is up from 14% who chose to be identified by that nationality a decade ago.

Overall, 98% of people in South Tyneside chose any UK identity in 2021, in line with the proportion in 2011.

About 94% of people identified as white in the borough in 2021 – down slightly from 96% in the previous census.

The data shows 4,317 residents (3%) identified as Asian or Asian British and 786 (1%) selected black or black British as their ethnicity.

A further 1,995 (1%) said they were mixed ethnicity.

Across England and Wales, 90% usual residents identified with at least one UK national identity – a slight decrease from 92% in 2011.

The proportion of people identifying as English only saw the sharpest fall - from 58% selecting the national identity 10 years ago to just 15% last year.

Nationally, 55% said they identified as British – leaping from 19% in the previous census.

Jon Wroth-Smith, census deputy director, said the recent data highlights that we are living in an "increasingly multi-cultural society" - with fewer people saying they belong to a particular nation.