Charity's BAME only poll reveals the scale of disproportionate impact of the pandemic

THE black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) only poll of a charity in UK has found that these communities have taken the hardest economic hit during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The poll by HOPE not hate Trust has found that one in five BAME people have lost their job during the period.

Based on these findings, the charity urged the chancellor to extend the furlough scheme and to increase the safety net for those who need it by eliminating delays and increasing payments of universal credit. It also demanded to extend the residential eviction ban in England.

As many as 22 per cent of BAME respondents to the poll said that they have lost their job due to Covid-19. Only 13 per cent of white respondents had lost their job during the period.

About 34 per cent of BAME people had their hours reduced compared to 23 per cent of white respondents in the national poll.

According to the research, a quarter of BAME people said they had applied for Universal Credit. This went up to 30 per cent for black respondents, and just 16 per cent of white respondents said so.

Rosie Carter, senior policy officer of the Trust, said: "The consistent racial inequity that we have seen throughout the pandemic – across measures of health and education outcomes, and as our polling shows, employment, financial security, housing and general wellbeing – are not random. It’s clear that more needs to be done to address systemic discrimination which underpins these growing gaps."

The survey also revealed that one in five respondents (19 per cent) had used a food bank. A quarter of (25 per cent) of black respondents said they had to use a food bank. In comparison to 12 per cent of white respondents.

As many as 34 per cent of BAME respondents to the survey had lost a friend or relative to coronavirus compared to 17 per cent of white respondents in the national poll.

The pandemic has pushed 34 per cent of black respondents and 28 per cent of BAME respondents into debt, compared to 20 per cent of white respondents.

The survey also found out that 26 per cent of BAME respondents had been furloughed, compared to 19 per cent of white respondents, due to Covid-19.

As many as 1,014 BAME Britons have participated in the survey between 10-14 January 2021. The nationally representative poll of 2,879 people carried out between December 22- 30, 2020.

The research also showed that just 37 per cent of BAME Britons felt confident that the UK was fully prepared to deal with a second wave of Coronavirus.

According to the poll, Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers were over represented in the passenger transport (taxi driving) and food and beverage sectors which were wiped out by the pandemic. Workers from the groups were relatively likely to be the sole earners in their households, it revealed.

The poll among BAME Britons shows that a majority (63 per cent) do not expect Boris Johnson to deliver on his promise to tackle racism and inequality and half (48 per cent) of the respondents feel that the government has not done enough to protect these communities from Covid-19.