Contrary to the scare tactics of much media coverage on population change and ethnic diversity, Andrew Brown presents a positive report on the transformation of the ethnic population in Leicester. Claiming that Leicester will soon ‘become the first English city where everyone is a member of some ethnic or religious minority’ he reflects on the positive developments ethnic diversity has brought to Leicester. The heterogeneity of the city’s commerce, integration and cooperation between different ethnic groups and supportive infrastructure are cited as encouraging examples of the consequences of mass immigration.
The geographical distribution of ethnic populations in the England and Wales is the focus of a recent article for Area. In an attempt to broaden understanding of demographic change Raymer and Giulietti (2009) explore the relationship between internal migration mechanisms and ethnic population change and redistribution between. Their study found that despite no dramatic changes to overall internal migration patterns as a result of ethnic diversity there are major differences in migration trends between White populations and ethnic populations. Using 2001 Census data to ascertain the importance of education and employment status in relation to migration patterns, the study found that White and ethnic populations have different motivations for destination choice, with employment being a more important determinant for ethnic migration and education as a determining factor for the White population in terms of destination choice.