https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...glish-29044026

Two areas of Wales made the top 10


It may come as a surprise that the place where people feel most English, is in Wales

The area in the UK with the highest percentage of people who identify solely as being 'English' is surprisingly not in England - it's actually in Wales. According to Census data, just 14% of people living in England identify as "English only" - but a whopping 38.9% of residents in Broughton & Saltney, in the Welsh country of Flintshire, do.

This St George's Day (Tuesday, April 23), our experts have analysed census data and further found that in urban areas of England, less than 5% of residents say they identify as exclusively English, whilst more than half of residents in Wales identified as "Welsh only" in the 2021 census. Figures suggest people living in England are much more likely to regard themselves as a mix of British and English, whereas in Wales people are more likely to identify as "Welsh only" rather than "Welsh and British".

The area with the strongest English-only identity includes two neighbourhoods in Essex: Holland-on-Sea and Canvey Island Newlands, and Sutton-on-Sea in Lincolnshire. But, as mentioned earlier, they're beaten by Broughton & Saltney in Flintshire where 4,500 of the community's 12,000 residents identify solely as English. Another Welsh area, Kinmel Bay & Towyn in Conwy, also made the top-10 for the proportion of people who identified as English-only.


Saltney village in Flintshire

You can find out how many people identify as being English-only in your area using the interactive map below:

The Census also shares further data on national identity by county. Across Flintshire, 34.7% of residents identified as Welsh-only in 2021, a slight decrease from 35.9% in 2011. Also in 2021, 6.1% described themselves a "Welsh and British only," a slight increase on the 5.3% figure from 2011. The percentage of residents in Flintshire that identified as "British only" also slightly increased from 2011 to 2021, from 23.2% to 25.8%. The Office of National Statistics notes that in the 2021 census, "British was moved to the top response option". "This may have influenced how people described their national identity," the ONS added.

According to the 2021 census, the areas with the highest proportion of people who identify as English only are:

- Broughton & Saltney, Flintshire, Wales (38.9%)
- Holland-on-Sea, Tendring, East of England (34.6%)
- Canvey Island Newlands, Castle Point, East of England (32.6%)
- Kinmel Bay & Towyn, Conwy, Wales (31.8%)
- Sutton-on-Sea, East Lindsey, East Midlands (31.7%)
- Sedgley West, Dudley, West Midlands (31.2%)
- Clacton North, Tendring, East of England (30.7%)
- Jaywick & St Osyth, Tendring, East of England (29.9%)
- Lower Gornal & The Straits, Dudley, West Midlands (29.8%)
- Hunstanton, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, East of England (29.7%)

The areas with the lowest proportion of people who identify as English are:

- Sparkhill North, Birmingham, West Midlands (0.8%)
- Sparkbrook South, Birmingham, West Midlands (1.1%)
- Southall Green East, Ealing, Outer London (1.1%)
- Small Heath Park, Birmingham, West Midlands (1.2%)
- Southall West, Ealing, Outer London (1.2%)
- Spinney Hill Road, Leicester, East Midlands (1.2%)
- Upton Park, Newham, Inner London (1.3%)
- Southall Green West, Ealing, Outer London (1.3%)
- Crown Hills, Leicester, East Midlands (1.4%)
- St Matthews & Highfields North, Leicester, East Midlands (1.4%)

The 2021 census (the most recent in the UK) also states 92% (49.8million) of usual UK residents aged 3+ spoke English (English or Welsh in Wales) as their main language. Of the 8% of usual UK residents aged 3+ with a main language other than English, 79% (3.3million) could speak English very well, or well.

The second most reported main language was Polish (1% 546,000 people) followed by Panjabi (0.5% 273,000) and Urdu (0.5% 269,000).

Also according to the census, in 2021, 17.8% (538,000) of usual Wales residents aged 3+ reported being able to speak Welsh, a slight decrease on the figure a decade prior (2011: 19% 562,000).