Rationale
The focus of my extensive research is on the extent of domestic violence within ethnic minorities. I would like to investigate how common domestic violence is amongst Black and Asian women. I believe it will be relatively higher than many people think as the issue is generally hidden and kept out of the public eye. However, there is more concern generally for domestic violence than ever before. This is probably due to the rise in feminist perspectives regarding the position of women in the family. Nevertheless, I believe ethnic minorities have been neglected as an issue. Moreover, little sociological research has been carried out on the matter and so an overall picture cannot be revealed. However, a feminist study by Marie Macey highlights a growing awareness of violence in Pakistani households and claims 'a number of women experience male violence in both the private and public domains.' The main aim of my study is to find out how prevalent domestic violence is within certain ethnic minorities compared to others.
This issue particularly interests me as I am from an Asian community and so will be able to relate to some of my findings. Although, I have no experience of domestic violence amongst my immediate family, I am aware that the problem exists. Moreover, I am familiar with some reasons that prevent women from my community from going to the police. It would be interesting to find out how often domestic violence occurs and if it does, why so many women from ethnic minorities fail to report the offenders. However, I am aware that due to the sensitivity of the issue, I will not be able to generalise the extent of domestic violence in ethnic minorities. Nevertheless, I am hoping to come to an accurate conclusion on the basis of my preliminary research. I am intending to use a questionnaire as I feel that the nature of my study requires a method, which can be carried out anonymously. Also, I would like to use close-ended questions as I feel that my respondents may not want to divulge too much information. I will probably select a random sampling technique in order to achieve a representative sample.
Hypothesis: Domestic violence is prevalent amongst ethnic minorities.
Objectives
) To research past studies and theories on the issue of domestic violence and in particular, within ethnic minorities
2) To carry out my own research in order to investigate how common domestic violence is amongst ethnic minorities
3) To reach to a conclusion regarding the seriousness of domestic violence amongst ethnic minorities.
Context
I am intending to study theories, statistics and studies carried out by other sociologists on the issue of domestic violence, in order to provide some background to my hypothesis. In particular, I am focusing on the extent of domestic violence within ethnic minorities. In general, sociological consideration of violence within domestic settings, or between family members, has been largely ignored until relatively recently. Domestic violence was simply not defined as a problem area. Moreover, as the family was seen as part of the private sphere, it was not open to state intervention.
The control of women, by men, was accepted as the way things are. What we presently call domestic violence was in the past seen as an unremarkable aspect of conjugal relationships. Also, until recently, most sociologists were male and so were more easily duped by the idealised myth of the family. Now, research into the causes and extent of domestic violence is spearheaded by female sociologists.
However, although the patriarchal view persisted into the twentieth century, during the past 50 years there has been a definite shift in people's attitudes towards marital relationships. With the rise of second wave feminism the extent of assaults on wives, of rape and of child sexual abuse has become more evident. Women have become more prepared to report men who commit violence against them and, more importantly, welfare agencies, the police and the courts have become more prepared to believe women and children. Beginning in the 1970's, writers such as Erin Pizzey exposed the hidden secret of domestic violence and terms such as 'domestic violence' and 'battered wife' found their way into everyday speech. These are relevant to my study as they help to explain how the concept of 'domestic violence' first emerged.
Feminist studies of domestic violence drew attention to the prevalence and severity of violence against women in the home. However, feminists argue that the extent of these crimes is still grossly underestimated and that the criminal justice system is still reluctant to accept how widespread violence against women and children is and to deal with the offenders.
The home is in fact the most dangerous place in modern society. In statistical terms, a person of any age or of either sex is far more likely to be subjected to physical attacks in the home than on the street and night. In violence against women, women are at greater risk of violence from men in their families or close acquaintances than they are from strangers.
British Crime Survey's statistics from 1996 and 2004 are relevant to my study as they provide the most reliable findings on the extent of domestic violence that we have ever had. The BCS estimated that there were about 6.6 million incidents of domestic physical assault in 1995, with women more likely than men to say that they had experienced domestic assault. In 2004, the BCS reported an astonishing 50% of all adult women who said that they had experienced incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Dobash and Dobash's 'Violence against Wives' (1979) is one of the most famous studies of domestic violence, directly related to my hypothesis. The research was carried out in Scotland and involved in-depth, informal interviews with 137 women who were or had once been in refuges for battered women. They found that wife battering was widespread, not just a one off occurrence and in 84 per cent of cases the first violent attack had occurred within the first three years of marriage. Twenty-five per cent of all reported serious assaults were by husbands on wives, although many had gone unrecorded because of underreporting. Dobash and Dobash argue that it is the marriage relationship itself that produces such violence. It is the authority and power held by the male - together with the dependence often conferred on the female by virtue of her role as a wife and mother - that promotes this unequal situation. They also point out that marriage is a power relationship that reflects the social norms and social inequalities in the wider society. Attacks are often set off by what is perceived as a violation of the husband's authority and are triggered by sexual jealousy, children, money, arguments over meals and drunkenness.
Another study relevant to my hypothesis was carried out by Jan Pahl (1980), a feminist who notes that male physical violence against women in the home is often coupled with male control of economic power; many battered wives are kept in an acute state of poverty by their husbands, forcing them to stay in the marriage rather than run away and seek help and refuge. Thus, we see both economic patriarchy and physical patriarchy in the home. This study is relevant to my aim as it highlights the main cause of inequality between men and women within the home.
Abbott and Wallace (1997) also attempt to identify the main explanations for male violence against women, which will help me examine my aim. The traditionalist account - according to this view, male violence is infrequent and while not all female victims are responsible for the male violence against them, many incite attention that results in male sexual excitement. The liberal/psychiatric account - this view states that male violence is rare but when it does occur, it is a serious problem and one that is caused by 'sick' or 'ill' individuals. Finally, the feminist account of male violence starts ...
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Abbott and Wallace (1997) also attempt to identify the main explanations for male violence against women, which will help me examine my aim. The traditionalist account - according to this view, male violence is infrequent and while not all female victims are responsible for the male violence against them, many incite attention that results in male sexual excitement. The liberal/psychiatric account - this view states that male violence is rare but when it does occur, it is a serious problem and one that is caused by 'sick' or 'ill' individuals. Finally, the feminist account of male violence starts by pointing out that the other two accounts are 'malestream' - they lack a genuine understanding of the lives of women and in some cases either ignore the issue or actually attempt to blame women for the violence inflicted on them.
Sociological perspectives, useful to my study present the immediate link of domestic violence with feminist theories in the area of gender relationships, the subordination and oppression of women and the patriarchal nature of the justice system. Marxist feminists may be referred to in looking at the nature of power relationships and the role of patriarchal ideology in the subjugation of women.
Radical feminists point to male violence against women as central to male supremacy. According to such a view, domestic violence, rape and sexual harassment are all part of the systematic oppression of women, rather than isolated cases with their own psychological or criminal roots. For radical feminist, Susan Brownmiller (1976) rape is a patriarchal act and 'natural' to the biological drive of all men. Rape is seen as a mechanism of control that is exercised by all men over all women. She claims rape is the same thing as male biological sexuality and it is an ever present feature in all societies dominated by men.
However, other perspectives such as New Right thinking provide a completely different view in relation to women's repression within the home. Their view can be described as the modern equivalent of functionalism as it sees the nuclear family both as 'normal' and the ideal, which we should all be striving for. Postmodernists and feminists reject the view that only the nuclear family is a 'proper' family. They are in favour of greater family diversity. Writers like Judith Stacey see diversity as desirable because it brings people the freedom to choose the personal relationships and ways of living that meet their needs. In particular, it enables women to liberate themselves from the oppression of the traditional patriarchal family.
Faith Elliot (1996) argues that given the extent of male violence and child abuse in the family, it is simply not realistic to view the family as a universally functional feature of life for all. She also suggests that the full picture of violence and abuse has still to be revealed: a picture that would highlight the real extent of abuse and demonstrate that it is not just another moral panic.
So far, I have investigated domestic violence, in the majority population and am now going to study the level of domestic violence within ethnic minorities. There are huge gaps in knowledge and services for women from ethnic minorities. The recent British Crime Survey, which found that one in five women have experienced at least one incident of domestic threat or force since they were 16, pointed to little difference in occurrence by ethnicity.
Home Office statistics:
Women
White
Black
Asian
Domestic violence
4.2
4.3
4.1
Sexual assualt
2.0
2.1
.5
Stalking
7.7
5.7
9.7
The prevalence of domestic violence is similar in all communities, and it is largely women and children who face the brunt of violence and abuse within the home, often from a violent and more powerful male abuser, such as husband, father, brother or uncle. However, sometimes women can also be abusive, often in collusion with a male abuser. In Asian households, the extended family and the wider community, including community leaders, may be involved in or collude with domestic violence.
Thus, Asian women struggle to free themselves from domestic violence to get access to support and services.
The table below illustrates the distribution of ethnicity across the 769 residents included in the 2005 survey of domestic violence services by the Women's Aid Federation of England. The table shows that the majority of women, who have access to domestic violence services, are White.
White
Mixed
Asian or Asian British
Black/Black British
Chinese or other ethnic group
British -
455
White and black -
20
Indian -
27
Caribbean -
36
Chinese -
3
Irish -
5
Caribbean white and black African -
2
Pakistani -
53
African -
36
Any other -
3
European -
27
White and Asian -
5
Bangladeshi-
9
Other Black - 10
Other white - 13
Other mixed-
7
Other Asian- 11
Total -
510
Total -
34
Total -
00
Total -
82
Total-
6
% of whole - 66%
% of whole -
5%
% of whole - 13%
% of whole-
1%
% of whole-
2%
While women and children from ethnic minorities appear to be just as likely as others to be victims, there are differences in how they respond to violence and how they are treated by services. We also need to recognize that ethnic minority communities are diverse and some more visible and powerful than others. The women and children in question are more likely to suffer abuse from multiple family members, as claimed by Ravi Thiara and Ruth Breslin in their article for www.communitycare.co.uk. It is also known that some are likely to be subjected to culturally specific forms of harm, as publicity on forced marriage and female genital mutilation shows. Increasingly, forced marriage is seen as a key form of domestic violence and child abuse and has been linked to high rates of self-harm and suicide attempts among Asian teenage girls. Some cultural beliefs can act as barriers to seeking help - for some Asian families these include 'Izzat' (honour) and 'Sharam' (reputation) which play a role in controlling women and children's behaviour, just as stigma and shame prevent many seeking help. Such beliefs can limit their choices as they become concerned about others in close-knit communities finding out.
Abusive men, aware of these pressures, can use this to exert greater control. Isolation is a huge issue for women and children fleeing their families and communities. Research shows that the family can be both a source of support and abuse for children from ethnic minorities. Widespread stereotyping and discrimination among statutory and voluntary services has been shown to be a common experience for many ethnic minority women, as stated by BBC Asian Network.
Worcester Women's Aid Service claims that domestic violence towards women from ethnic minorities has reached 'shocking levels'. In the 18 months that the service has been running, 120 abused women have sought their help, a third of whom are from an ethnic minority, even though just 3.5 per cent of Worcester's population are from ethnic minorities, according to the last census carried out in 2001. (www.thisisworcestershire.co.uk)
In India, violence against women within the home is often associated with the practice of dowry (price that the bride's family pay to the groom and his family as part of the marriage arrangement). Dowry is at the root of discrimination and violence against women in India. It is common for the groom to murder the new bride in the first year of an arranged marriage because they consider her dowry insufficient. According to the Asylum Aid Project, February 2003, every day in India fifteen women are murdered by their new husbands. This study helps me investigate my hypothesis in depth as it brings to light one of the main causes of domestic violence within ethnic minorities.
It appears that Black and minority women, including Asian women, can also experience racism in the form of harassment and discrimination from outside their communities when leaving violent relationships. Mama (1989) in the first major study - and the only major study I'm aware of - of violence against black women in the home writes 'While black women as well as black men are subjected to the physical violence and abuse of race attacks and coercive inner-city policing, black women are also expected to show sympathy and understanding when the men that live with them also turn violent. The prevalence of violence against women in black communities illustrates the full meaning of triple oppression along the dimensions of race, class and gender.'
In England, 40 of the 240 refugee support services are specialist refugees meeting the needs of black and minority ethnic women. Black women face the double difficulty of persecution within their family and community. For example, many women do not speak English as their first language and sensitivity to religious and cultural practices can make a considerable difference to whether the women stay or return to the violence. Women might feel they have too much to lose by leaving, for instance, religious or cultural beliefs may forbid divorce or they may fear their family will disown them. (www.breakthepattern.org.uk/domesticviolence)
Another source that is relevant to my hypothesis is the speech about 'tackling domestic violence in the ethnic minority community' by Harriet Harman, MP for Camberwell & Peckham in September 2004. She claims that we need to understand more about the incidence of domestic violence in black and minority ethnic families. "Domestic violence is a crime where we only see the tip of the iceberg..." "That must be the case within black and minority ethnic families too." The South London African Women's Organisation found in their research (carried out in co-operation with the African Advocacy Foundation) that 92% of women who had or are still going through domestic violence had never accessed services on domestic violence. The British Crime Surveys module on Inter-personal violence gives the overall figures - but it is not sufficiently focused to identify and plan the incidence of domestic violence in minority ethnic families, "We are therefore attempting to identify how further research can help us more accurately map the prevalence of domestic violence in black and minority ethnic communities."
In February 2005, Fawcett, the UK's leading campaign for equality between women and men published 'Black and Minority Ethnic women in the UK.' This report showed that the corridors of power are still closed to ethnic minority women - and their exclusion shows at every level of society. Fawcett claims that a woman victim of domestic violence has on average 11 contacts with agencies before getting the help she needs -this rises to 17 if she is black.
A feminist study, entitled 'Class, gender and Religious influence on changing patterns of Pakistani Muslim male violence in Bradford', by Marie Macey is particularly interesting to my study as it highlights the growing severity of violence amongst Asian households. She comments, 'over recent years there has been a growing awareness of violence in Pakistani homes, despite denials by religious leaders and other male members of the community. Victims of domestic violence, who do not speak English and are aware of potential support being available, are in an intolerable position of isolation and suffering.'
Most women experiencing domestic violence suffer from depression and trauma. However, Home Office figures show than Asian women are 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide than women in the general population. They are also more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide. Self-harm can also include self-mutilation and eating disorders. The reasons are often to do with abusive and oppressive practices in the family. Because of obstacles inside and outside the community, which prevent women from leaving abusive situations, some women feel they have no option but to kill or harm themselves. This concept helps me to become aware of how prevalent domestic violence is in ethnic minorities.
Finally, in 'Safety and Justice', the report carried out by the Home Office, the government acknowledges that women from ethnic minorities have particular problems in leaving an abusive relationship due to family and cultural pressures, and difficulties in gaining access to specialist support and services when fleeing violence. The paper states "victims are often deterred from seeking help or leaving a violent relationship because they have nowhere else to go." The paper describes the availability of safe and secure accommodation as "crucial and life-saving." The Government admits it has a "duty ... to ensure victims attempting to leave a violent relationship - one of the most dangerous times for victims of domestic violence - can have access to refuge accommodation and services."
All in all, the records on domestic violence are difficult to analyse as both reporting and recording are unreliable. Furthermore, there are only a limited number of sociological studies available. However, I will attempt to assess further the extent of domestic violence, within ethnic minorities, by carrying out my own research.
Methodology
When trying to select a method, with which I was going to conduct my preliminary research, I came across a variety of techniques. The first one that I contemplated was the interview method. I began to think of using unstructured interviews, which would allow informality, to investigate how common domestic violence is in ethnic minorities. Thus, I would be able to develop a rapport with the respondents and encourage them to feel comfortable whilst discussing the personal topic. Moreover, I wouldn't be restricted to a fixed set of questions and so the interviews would be flexible, meaning that I could pursue a new train of thought, as it came up. However, the small number of people that I would interview would mean that I wouldn't have a representative sample. This would make it even harder to make valid generalisations on the extent of domestic violence within ethnic minorities. Also, as I am Asian and would be interviewing women of Asian origin, there is the danger that our interaction could distort the information obtained. Thus, the issue of validity would be raised.
Another method that I thought of was participant observation. This would have involved me entering an Asian/Black household in order for me to observe a couple. This would provide me with a source of qualitative data which would show the interaction between the man and woman. The interpretivist method would allow me to examine the situations in depth. However, it would be impossible for me to carry out my research using this method as it would be an invasion of privacy. Due to the delicate issue, the household probably wouldn't want to be studied in this way and may not want to be studied at all. Hence, this would bring up ethical issues. Also, the Hawthorne effect may take place which would mean that my presence would make my subjects act differently. This is inevitable as it is a touchy subject which could lead to police action, if reported.
Finally, the method which I have decided to adopt is the questionnaire method.
Questionnaires, favoured by positivists are a detached and objective form of research, which would mean that my involvement would be kept to a minimum. This could be a good thing as there would be no personal contact and so respondents wouldn't be aware of my ethnic origin. Also, as I can collect information from a large number of people, my results would be representative which would enable me to make accurate assumptions. On the other hand, data obtained from questionnaires tends to be limited and superficial. Hence, they don't provide in-depth data. However, I feel that I probably won't obtain in-depth information, as I'd like to, regarding my hypothesis and so this issue isn't related to my study. Furthermore, due to the set questions I will ask there will be no chance to explore new ideas of interest. Hence, I will try to ensure that my questionnaire contains the kinds of questions that will produce succinct findings. Overall, questionnaires are a quick and cheap means of gathering data and so they will be practical for my study.
I have decided to choose my sampling frame by using the Quota sampling technique. Instead of choosing the samples for each category (e.g. male and female) randomly, I will select my sample by looking for the right number (quota) of each sort of person required in my categories. For example, I will find 10 Asians and 10 Whites to participate in my investigation. This technique will result in me gaining a representative sample.
The first question I decided to include in my pilot questionnaire is, Are you male or female? This question will allow me to understand whether males and females share the same views on domestic violence.
The second question is Which age category do you fall in? This question will show me the difference in opinions throughout the age ranges. For example, do older people feel more strongly about domestic violence in comparison to younger people. The third question included in my questionnaire is, Which ethnic origin are you? Again, this question will show me the varied views amongst different ethnic groups. Thus, I will be able to make valid generalisations. My fourth question, Have you ever experienced domestic violence? will help me to realize the true extent of domestic violence, within society. My next question, Did you report the violence to the police? will highlight the deficiencies in reporting to the police, as discovered in my research. The sixth question is Do you think that domestic violence is more reported amongst white communities than ethnic minority communities? This question pinpoints the issue of under reporting within different communities. The answers will enable me to pinpoint the issue of under reporting amongst ethnic minorities, if it arises. The next question is, Why do you think that ethnic minority women are less likely to report domestic violence? is essential as it will confirm the reasons why my subjects fail to report the violence. This, in turn will indicate the severity of the issue. My final question is, Why do you think that there is a shortfall in the availability of services for ethnic minority women? This question will help me to gain people's opinions on why there is little support for ethnic minority women.
After carrying out my pilot study I have come across a number of changes that need to be incorporated into my final questionnaire. Firstly, due to the sensitivity of the issue I am investigating I feel that I need to include a statement at the beginning of the questionnaire to explain that it will be both confidential and anonymous. This, will in turn, reassure the public who will then hopefully give clear responses. Secondly, I have decided to remove some of the age categories from my questionnaire. This is because I have decided to only ask students between the ages of 16 and 19. This sample will be easier for me to obtain. Also, I have only included two ethnic groups - Whites and Asians as I will only be asking students from these ethnic groups. This is because there are predominately more Asians and Whites in my area than any other ethnic group. Due to ethical issues, I have decided that the question asking, Have you experienced domestic violence? should be removed from my questionnaire. This question appears to be too personal and so could cause offence and raise ethical issues. Instead, I have included Do you think that domestic violence is reported enough? This question will result in an overall picture being revealed about people's views on the reporting of domestic violence. Consequently, I have also removed the follow up question, Did you report the violence to the police? and replaced it with Why do you think that women hesitate to report domestic violence? This will give me a general view amongst all women and not just from women from ethnic minorities. Finally, I have included an 'other comments' question so that my respondents can include any other issues that they feel are relevant to my investigation.
In order to find out how prevalent domestic violence is, within ethnic minorities, I carried out my investigation by handing out my questionnaires to 10 White students and 10 Asian students. My respondents completed them, in my presence. I assured them that the results would be completely confidential.
My results are as follow:
This chart shows that I acquired a fair sample as I questioned 10 Asians and 10 Whites.
The above bar charts show that both Asian and White respondents feel that domestic violence is not reported enough. This supports what I found out in my contextual research, that the reporting of domestic violence is both under reported and unreliable.
The charts show that the main factor that Asian respondents felt prevented women from reporting domestic violence is shame. Whereas, White respondents felt that Fear was the dominant factor in stopping women from reporting domestic violence. However, as some of my respondents ticked more than one box on the question, it is evident that the other factors are also important to my study. Both Functionalists and New Right thinking see the family as a private sphere and so any form of violence is kept hidden. Due to the fact that they see the nuclear family as 'normal' and the ideal, they are probably likely to discourage women from reporting domestic violence. Dobash and Dobash highlighted that many domestic violence assaults had gone unrecorded due to underreporting.
These charts shows that both Asian and White respondents feel that domestic violence is more reported amongst white communities than ethnic minority communities. This shows that some of the reasons I have highlighted, could prevent ethnic minority women from going to the police. For example, research obtained from www.breakthepattern.org.uk/domesticviolence states that Black women, who do not speak English as their first language, are sensitive to religious and cultural practices, which can make a considerable difference to whether the women report the violence or stay with their partners.
`
These charts illustrate that the majority of my respondents feel that ethnic minority women are less likely to report domestic violence in order to protect the family. However, a significant number of White respondents feel that fear and shame prevent ethnic minority women from going to the police. This may be because they feel that ethnic minority women are considered inferior to men and so may be oppressed.
Again, on this question, my respondents ticked more than one box, which indicates that the other factors are also significant in ethnic minority women avoiding the police, in order to formally complain about their abusers. Authors Ravi Thiara and Ruth Breslin, in their article for www.communitycare.co.uk, highlighted that cultural beliefs can also act as barriers to seeking help - for some Asian families these include honour (Izzat) and reputation (Sharam), which play a role in controlling women 's behaviour. Moreover, feminist Marie Macey claims that ethnic minority women's socialisation into traditional gender roles, lack of family support and financial dependence on abusive men means that they are almost totally powerless.
The charts show that the majority of Asian respondents feel that there is a shortfall in the availability of services for ethnic minority women due to little understanding. Asians may feel that, in light of recent events, there has been little understanding by both the police and the state. Thus, they may argue that ethnic minority women are being ignored, regarding domestic violence. The majority of White respondents feel that there is a shortfall in the availability of services due to a lack of awareness of the issue. This may be because they feel that ethnic minority women are segregated from society and so are not knowledgeable about the issue and the services available to them. Again, my respondents ticked more than one box, which means that all of the reasons could be combined to explain why there is a lack of services available for ethnic minority women. The chart compiled by the Women's Aid Federation of England, shows that out of the 769 residents included, only 5% of mixed ethnic groups had access to domestic violence services. Furthermore, The Fawcett society claims that a woman victim of domestic violence has on average 11 contacts with agencies before getting the help she needs - this rises to 17 if she is black.
For my final question, Do you have any other comments that you would like to include?, one respondent said that domestic violence is becoming recognized as a growing problem. Another one of my respondents felt that police officers fail to deal with domestic violence properly. Although these comments are interesting, they are not important as they don't lead to any conclusions.
Evaluation
Having now completed my preliminary research, I am going to evaluate my investigation. The main aim of my study was to find out how prevalent domestic violence is, within certain ethnic minorities compared to others. For my investigation, I chose to question the White community as it was easier to speak to White people. Thus, my sample was made up of Asian and White respondents. I have found out what people think about domestic violence amongst ethnic minorities. For example, it has been established that domestic violence is more reported amongst the white community rather than the ethnic minority community. Moreover, various issues have been highlighted, which prevent ethnic minority women from going to the police. Such issues include fear, shame, the need to protect the family and cultural beliefs.
After completing my analysis, I have decided that my aim wasn't reasonable to investigate. This is because I haven't achieved clear answers, in relation to my hypothesis. Firstly, due to ethnical issues, I was forbidden to include the following question Have you ever experienced domestic violence? This was because of the sensitivity of the issue. By removing this question, I didn't actually find out how common domestic violence is, amongst ethnic minorities. Thus, I only became aware of my respondents views and opinions. Also, I chose to use an indirect method, with which to carry out my investigation. The questionnaire method is detached and so I wasn't able to develop a rapport with my respondents. If, for example, I had used a direct form of method, such as the interview method, I would have been able to speak to ethnic minority women with informality, whilst discussing this personal topic.
Furthermore, on a few of my questions, my respondents ticked more than one box. This meant that I was unable to make accurate comparisons as many respondents felt that there was more than one answer. Had I limited my respondents to only tick one box, I would have been able to make valid generalisations and also would have been able to form clear charts and graphs.
Also, I initially wanted to question both Black and Asian respondents. However, due to the fact that there are little numbers of Black people in my area, I was limited to questioning Asian students. This meant that I couldn't study ethnic minorities, on the whole, and so couldn't prove my original aim correct. My sample also appeared to be unrepresentative as I only questioned 20 students, which means that I will not be able to reach to any valid conclusions. Perhaps if I had questioned large numbers of people, from a variety of ethnic minorities, I would have been able to produce more reliable data, giving me an accurate overview of the issue.
