According to pollsters Ipsos Mori, only crime ranks higher than migration in the list of voters’ concerns, with some three-quarters of the public considering migration ‘a problem’. Gordon Brown’s personal pollster, Deborah Mattinson, has warned the prime minister that migration could become a ‘vortex issue’ for the government, sucking in public anxieties over public services.

In May, the Barrow Cadbury Trust conducted large-scale polling and focus group research in Birmingham to assess attitudes towards ethnic diversity and immigration in the city, a political bellweather for the UK. While the focus groups garnered some depressing results when it came to opinions on immigration, views on ethnic diversity were far more encouraging.

The poll – which represented a cross-section of the city’s population – revealed that far from being a critical issue, 68 per cent of respondents in Birmingham believed race relations in the city were good and that different groups mixed well. People may well have fears about immigration but when asked about ethnic diversity opinions were more positive.

And the picture looks even more upbeat when you look at the younger generation. A massive 79 per cent of respondents between the age of 25 and 34 thought relations between communities in Birmingham were good. Almost three-quarters of 18 to 24 year-olds agreed with this statement.

Our poll also revealed that Birmingham is a city where different ethnic groups tend to socialise every day. Moreover, the vast majority of people living in Birmingham – over 90 per cent – have friends from different backgrounds: people they have met at work, through school or college, or socially.

Our research was focused on ethnic diversity and not immigration, yet what the results show is that voter opinion on issues to do with race are not as intractable as one might think. In the last edition of Progress, Fiona Mactaggart made the case for Labour not turning into the ‘nasty party’ on immigration. What our polling shows is that, at least on issues of ethnic diversity, Labour can move towards a more progressive approach and begin to change the debate on to a more positive footing.

As well as being asked about their opinions on the current situation in Birmingham, participants in the poll were also asked what vehicles they believe help improve community cohesion and what they believe may hinder it. Initiatives on the ground – voluntary and community groups, social facilities that bring diverse groups together and the efforts of communities themselves – are seen as the most effective way to make progress.

Conversely, government schemes are viewed with scepticism across the board, with white groups showing particular suspicion towards such initiatives. Equally, the media are often seen as a damaging force. Almost half of people living in Birmingham (48 per cent) name them as a negative influence.

There are perhaps lessons here for Labour. Rather than focusing on superficial initiatives, such as flag-waving or oaths of allegiance to the Queen, the government should better support civil society groups to help bring different communities together.
Creating a sense of Britishness among our new and old communities is surely a good thing. But people’s anxieties about ethnic diversity and immigration are almost always based on more practical concerns such as access to public services. Concentrating purely on forging a new Britishness may be part of the solution but providing better access to public services for poor and marginalised communities – which experience issues of ethnic diversity and immigration most acutely – is vital.

The adequate provision of public services for all should therefore be at the top of politicians’ priorities. By focusing on sensible initiatives with tangible outcomes, we can ensure that Britain’s cities remain as cohesive as they are diverse.