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A new poll commissioned by The Repair Campaign shows a gulf in public knowledge about Britain’s role in transatlantic slavery and colonialism.
The majority of those polled were unable to correctly answer questions on this topic. However, support for both a formal apology and financial reparations to Caribbean nations has increased over the past year.
Overall, the poll highlights a widespread lack of understanding about the scale and legacy of Britain‘s involvement in slavery and colonialism. The vast majority of respondents were unable to correctly answer a series of knowledge-based questions:
- 85% did not know that more than 3 million people were forcibly shipped from Africa to the Caribbean by Britain during the transatlantic slave trade.
- 89% were unaware that Britain enslaved people in the Caribbean for over 300 years.
- 75% did not know that British taxpayers only finished paying off the money borrowed by the UK government to compensate slave owners for their “loss of property” after 2000.
- Just 19% correctly identified that this loan, which was £20 million in 1833, would be worth over £2 billion in today’s money.
The findings suggest a pressing need for better education about Britain’s historical role in transatlantic slavery and its ongoing impact. Nearly four in five respondents (78%) believe it is important for schools in the UK to teach about the country’s role in transatlantic slavery and colonialism.
A vast majority (63%) now agree that Caribbean nations and descendants of enslaved people should receive a formal apology, up four percentage points from a similar poll conducted by The Repair Campaign last year. Support for financial reparations has also increased, with 40% now in favour, again a four-point increase on last year.
Denis O’Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, said: “It is heartening to see that public support for both a formal apology and for financial reparations has grown in the past year. But what these results also show is how little people in Britain really know about the country’s past.
“Poll respondents grossly underestimated the number of people enslaved and the length of Britain’s involvement in the slave trade. This lack of understanding underscores the urgent need for better public education on the issue.”
He added: “On a more positive note, 90 per cent of those in favour of financial reparations agree they should be directed towards long-term education, health and infrastructure projects.
“The Repair Campaign is working with the CARICOM Reparations Commission to develop tailored plans for each CARICOM Member State that focus on these exact issues.
“We are also committed to raising awareness and amplifying Caribbean voices calling for justice and meaningful reparations in the UK and Europe, including through public education and advocacy.”
Dr. Hilary Brown, CARICOM Secretariat Programme Manager, Culture, who supports the CARICOM Reparations Commission said: “It is encouraging to see that people from the UK support the need for repair. Our shared humanity demands justice for the horrific crimes committed, as a natural and necessary part of the process of repair.
“Addressing the knowledge gap in the UK on the country’s history of trading and enslaving Africans is urgent.”
In the lead-up to the Day and to address the gulf of knowledge identified in the research, The Repair Campaign is running a series of public education and advocacy events on social media – featuring speakers from both the UK and the Caribbean – to raise awareness about reparations and to commemorate the sacrifices of Caribbean freedom fighters who resisted chattel slavery.