• United Kingdom:
• Society

United Kingdom - Society

Population: 60,769,000 (2007); England 83.6%, Scotland 8.6%, Wales 4.9%, Northern Ireland 2.9% (2001 census); 89% lives in urban areas and 23% in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million people; growth 0.2% p.a. 1970–90 and 0.3% p.a. 1990–2004; birth rate (2005) 11 per 1,000 people (16 in 1970); life expectancy 79 years (72 in 1970 and around 50 in 1901).

The inhabitants are 93.6% of European ethnic origin. The ethnic origin of the rest of the population is: Afro-Caribbean and African 2%; Indian 1.6%; Pakistani 1%; Bangladeshi 0.4%; Chinese 0.3%; and other groups 0.9%. In 1998, 28% of households in Great Britain comprised one person (14% in 1961), 35% two, 16% three and 14% four.

Religion: The majority of adherents to a religion are Christians (of a wide variety of denominations); independent churches and new religious movements increased in the late 20th century. There are substantial communities of Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Sikhs.

Language: English (official language). Welsh (an official language in Wales) is spoken by about 21% of people there (1997) and is the first language in much of rural north and west Wales. Scottish Gaelic is spoken in Scotland by some 70,000 people, many of whom live in the Hebrides. Many ethnic minorities speak the languages of their countries of origin.

Media: A free press operates in the UK. There are about 120 daily and Sunday newspapers, of which some ten dailies and ten Sunday papers are national. ‘Quality’ newspapers include Daily Telegraph (established 1855), Financial Times (1888), The Guardian (1821), The Independent (1986), The Scotsman (1817 as a weekly, daily from 1855) and The Times (1785).

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is the national broadcaster and is publicly funded: all households with a TV set must pay an annual licence fee. BBC TV stations include analogue channels BBC1 and BBC2, and digital BBC3, BBC4 and BBC News 24. Commercial terrestrial stations include ITV, Channel 4 and Five. Many people also have access to digital, cable and satellite TV. The UK is set to switch from analogue to digital TV broadcasting by 2012.

The BBC operates the country’s national radio services – Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 5 – as well as numerous regional stations and a service aimed at the country’s Asian community (BBC Asian Network). The BBC World Service can be heard all over the world and has programmes in more than 40 languages. The UK also has hundreds of privately owned radio stations.

There are 950 TV sets (2002), 600 personal computers (2004) and 560 internet users (2006) per 1,000 people.

Education: Public spending on education was 5.4% of GDP in 2005. There are 12 years of compulsory education starting at age five. Net enrolment ratios are 99% for primary and 95% for secondary (2005). The pupil–teacher ratio for primary is 17:1 and for secondary 15:1 (2005). The school year starts in September.

About 60% of the relevant age group is enrolled in tertiary education (2005). After 16, when it is no longer compulsory, around 70% of young people stay in education, either at school or at further education colleges, and may then go on to higher education institutions. There are around 170 universities and higher education institutions which award degrees.

Educational reforms in England and Wales in the 1980s and 1990s have created a national curriculum with a uniform programme and allowed schools to manage their own budgets. In the same period throughout the country there has been a massive increase in university education, with all the former polytechnics becoming full universities. Payments by university students towards tuition fees were introduced in 1998. About 7% of children attend the 2,500 independent fee-paying schools.

Health: The National Health Service (NHS) provides free health care. It has a workforce of around 1 million people and is paid for mainly through general taxation. Cancer, heart disease and stroke are the major causes of death, while accidents are the commonest cause of death under 30. Up to the end of 2006, 73,000 people were estimated to be living with HIV. Cigarette smoking is the largest preventable cause of illness and death. About 27% of men and 13% of women drink alcohol to an extent that may put their health at risk. Infant mortality was 5 per 1,000 live births in 2005 (23 in 1960).

Communications: Country code 44. Coin- and card-operated phone booths can be found around the country, and multimedia phone booths offering touchscreen access are located in the larger cities – main railway stations and airports.

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone operators and coverage is good in urban areas but can be patchy elsewhere. There are internet cafes and centres in most urban areas; and some coffee shops, bars and libraries offer wireless connections. Post offices are located in all towns.

There are 562 main telephone lines and 1,164 mobile phones per 1,000 people (2006).

Public holidays: New Year’s Day, May Day (first Monday in May), Spring Bank Holiday (last Monday in May), Summer Bank Holiday (last Monday in August, first Monday in August in Scotland only), Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Additionally in Scotland: Hogmanay (2 January); and in Northern Ireland: St Patrick’s Day (17 March), and Battle of the Boyne Day (12 July). The Queen’s Official Birthday (June) is not a public holiday.

Religious and other festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Good Friday and Easter Monday.