Is racism getting worse in the UK

1. Recorded incidents and public perception: rising numbers, rising concern

Official, compiled figures published through 2023/24 show police‑recorded racial hate crimes increased compared with earlier years, a trend tracked in UK Home Office datasets and summarised by data services ^[1]. Parallel polling captured by YouGov and reported via Statista finds substantial public belief that racism is present: in September 2024, about 46% said racism was somewhat prevalent and 34% said there was a great deal of racism ^[2]. Together these data points show both objective measures (recorded incidents) and subjective experience (public perception) moving in a direction that many interpret as “worse” or more visible ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Institutional findings: investigations say long‑standing problems persist

Investigations and watchdog reporting repeatedly conclude that systemic and institutional racism remains a problem. A Guardian investigation found only about a third of recommendations from major anti‑racism reports over 40 years had been implemented, arguing a pattern of “performative” responses rather than structural reform ^[4]. Human Rights Watch also judged that government approaches leaned toward law‑and‑order responses rather than tackling root causes of antisemitism, systemic racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia ^[7]. These institutional critiques indicate that while some progress exists, structural issues remain unaddressed ^{[4] [7]}.

3. Politics and rhetoric: mainstreaming of harder anti‑immigrant and racist discourse

Senior politicians and columnists warn that a more hostile political tone is contributing to an uptick in racist feeling and incidents. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly warned that decades‑old racism is “returning” to British politics and linked hard‑right forces to divisive rhetoric ^[5]. Commentators argue that parties and activists on the right, and high‑profile anti‑immigrant campaigns, have fuelled an anti‑immigrant mood that bleeds into everyday racism ^[6]. These voices frame the change as both political and cultural, not merely statistical ^{[5] [6]}.

4. Lived experience: personal accounts and community impact

Journalistic first‑person accounts describe a noticeable rise in overt street‑level racism and targeted abuse in 2024–25. A Guardian columnist wrote that they “experienced more racism in the past year than the rest of my life put together,” citing street abuse and worry about far‑right mobilisation ^[8]. Community organisations and the Institute of Race Relations catalogue episodes of racist graffiti, targeted attacks, and localised campaigns that make residents feel less safe ^{[9] [8]}. These qualitative reports complement the quantitative data and emphasise how perception and harm can outpace policy responses ^{[8] [9]}.

5. Where the reporting disagrees or leaves gaps

Different sources emphasise different dimensions: criminal‑justice datasets show recorded incidents rose in recent years ^[1], watchdogs focus on systemic shortcomings in institutions ^{[7] [4]}, and commentators highlight a political shift that amplifies racism’s visibility ^{[5] [6]}. Available sources do not comprehensively quantify long‑term trends across all measures (e.g., underreporting rates, regional breakdowns, or Met Police‑included national totals in every dataset), so definitive statements that “racism is categorically getting worse” across all metrics are not fully supported by the materials provided (not found in current reporting).

6. What to watch next — metrics and moments that will matter

Further Home Office releases (particularly if they include full Metropolitan Police data), independent watchdog inquiries into police culture, and follow‑up investigations on implementation of long‑standing recommendations will be key to judging durable change ^{[1] [3] [4]}. Political shifts and the tone of major parties — and whether government policy addresses root causes beyond prosecutions — will shape whether increases in incidents and fear become sustained trends or temporary spikes ^{[7] [5]}.

Conclusion: Multiple strands of evidence in current reporting point to a recent rise in recorded incidents, increased public concern, and persistent institutional failings; commentators and political leaders argue the climate has grown more hostile, but available reporting does not offer a single, uncontested metric that proves “racism is getting worse” in every dimension ^{[1] [2] [4] [8] [5]}.