British Sikh Report 2022 and cost of living summary

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12% of British Sikhs believe they have Long Covid

Report reveals data about the pandemic and costs of living crisis impact on Sikhs

 

Birmingham, UK – 3 October 2022:

A report is being launched today which shows how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the Sikh community disproportionately to the rest of British society. It also looks into the impact that the costs of living crisis is having on British Sikhs today.

The ninth annual British Sikh Report (BSR) is the only robust strategic document of its kind. Based on the results of a survey of over 2,000 Sikhs throughout the country, it aims to provide quantitative data about the British Sikh community at large.

The findings from this year’s report include:

Costs of Living Crisis

  • 38% of Sikh women and 25% of Sikh men are finding it difficult to pay their bills
  • 88% of British Sikhs have had their costs of living increase over the last month
  • 36% of Sikhs are cutting back on non-essential car journeys
  • 35% of Sikhs are shopping around more to save money

Covid-19 pandemic

  • 59% of British Sikhs have had Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic
  • 21% of British Sikhs who had Covid believe they now have long Covid, equivalent to 12% of all British Sikhs
  • 29% of Sikhs knew at least 5 people or more who died of Covid during the pandemic
  • 29% of Sikhs volunteered during the pandemic

Jasvir Singh OBE, chair of the British Sikh Report, said “The data regarding the pandemic shows how Sikhs were directly and disproportionately affected by Covid. When 1 in 8 Sikhs are saying that they may have Long Covid, that is of deep concern as a health issue, and more research is needed in this area. At the same time, almost a third of Sikhs were volunteering during the pandemic, with people drawing from their faith during that uncertain period in a very Sikh way by providing sewa or selfless service to others.

Jagdev Singh Virdee MBE, editor of the British Sikh Report, commented, “Although Sikhs are considered to be an affluent community, almost 4 in every 10 Sikh women are finding it difficult to pay their bills, and more concentrated in lower paid jobs than men. Having these statistics helps to show that the lived reality of Sikhs today is very different to the assumptions that can often exist. They also highlight the different experiences of men compared with women, and of different age groups, in many aspects of their lives.”

Other areas looked at within the report include general health and fitness, NHS waiting times, gurdwara attendance, awareness of CPR, and attitudes towards mentoring.

British Sikh Report 2022

This year we have the full report and also a special summary about the impact of the cost of living on British Sikhs.
You can download the summary report 2022 (0.35Mb).

Support the British Sikh Report

It's only with the generous contributions from people like yourself that this work can continue. If you're able to make even a small monetary donation it would help us cover the cost of future reports. The majority of the work undertaken each year is voluntary and if you'd like to donate your time that would also be very welcome. Volunteer for the BSRDonate