One-third of Britons have racist opinions: Study

London: A third of Britons have racist opinions, a study shows.

A study by NatCen Social Research published Wednesday showed that 30 percent of 2,000 Britons who were interviewed confirmed that they have racist prior opinions.

In 2001, the figure was only 25 percent.

"The findings are troubling," said Penny Young, chief executive of NatCen Social Research, according to the centre’s website.

"Levels of racial prejudice declined steadily throughout the Nineties, but have been on the rise again during the first decade of this century. This bucks the trend of a more socially liberal and tolerant Britain,” she said.