How Fair Is Britain? A Lack Of Information

Much ink is now being spilled on the Equality and Human Rights Commission report 'How Fair Is Britain?'.
But despite the spin being given it, it tells us nothing new - literally.
It is not a new survey or the result of original research.
"It brings together evidence from a range of sources, including Census data, surveys and research, to paint a picture of how far what happens in people’s real lives matches up to the ideals of equality."
Many media - such as The Guardian ["Major report finds ethnically diverse Britain facing new challenges – but homosexuality now far more accepted"] and The Daily Telegraph ['Nation Is Comfortable With Homosexuals']- have zoned in on this quote from the introduction to the report:
"At the same time as society has grown more diverse in objective terms, subjective attitudes have begun to change. In many ways, Britons are becoming more tolerant of difference and more welcoming of diversity.
"The change in attitudes towards lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people is emblematic. A gap of less than 20 years separates the debate about Section 28, a piece of law which stigmatised same-sex relationships, and civil partnerships, a piece of law which gave those relationships legal recognition."
Whilst true, the Report gives no new supporting evidence for this.
Figures quoted - and regurgitated uncredited in the press - come from Stonewall's 2007 survey, Living Together.
Read on a little further and the authors admit:
"The Review contains a lot of information. In some cases, though, it highlights what we don’t know. There are several ways in which we lack reliable information to tell whether the ideals of equality and fairness are being translated into a practical change for the better in people’s real lives.
"In some cases we lack information altogether. For instance, we do not have a reliable baseline estimate about how many people identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender."