The social and economic circumstances of mixed ethnicity children in the UK: findings from the Millennium Cohort Study

Abstract The number of people with a? mixed? ethnicity heritage is growing in contemporary Britain. Research in this area has largely focussed on implications for cultural and racialised identities, and little is known about associated economic and social factors. Data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a representative panel survey of children born in 2000/2001, are used to examine the circumstances of mixed ethnicity children in comparison with their non-mixed and white counterparts. Findings suggest a cultural location between `white? and minority identities, and socioeconomic advantage in comparison with non-mixed counterparts. For example, households of non-mixed white children had poorer economic profiles than households of both mixed white and mixed Indian children. This effect is associated with the presence of a white parent, and the factors underlying it are examined. Although the statistical approach used bypasses a consideration of the dynamics of identity, it provides important evidence on stratification and inequality, and the factors driving this.