Researching behavioural differences among ethnic minority groups: the case for inferring ethnicity on the basis of people's names

Richard Webber

This paper reviews the growing use of personal and family names as a basis for inferring ethnicity, for researching behavioural differences among ethnic groups, and as a basis for market segmentation.

Researching behavioural differences among ethnic minority groups: the case for inferring ethnicity on the basis of people's names

Richard Webber

Kings College London

Introduction

Market research is often commissioned with a view to assessing how well an organisation is meeting the needs of existing and potential new customers. For this reason, and for the need to segment respondents, the final reports of most research studies incorporate tables that show variations in the frequency of various behaviours, purchases or attitudes among different demographic segments.

Among the demographic segmentation systems that are most likely to feature in these reports...

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