FEWER people see themselves as English in Dudley than before the 2016 EU referendum, according to a national survey, while more are identifying as British.

The Office for National Statistics’ Annual Population Survey invites a sample of local people to declare their identity.

Participants can select as many options as they like from British, English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish or ‘other.’ The latest figures have been revealed as England’s patron saint is celebrated on St George’s Day (April 23).

In the year to June 2016, in the lead-up to the Brexit referendum, 60 per cent of residents surveyed in Dudley said that they identify as English - but this fell to 56 per cent in the year to December 2021.

Over the same period, the proportion of people identifying as British increased from 44 per cent to 58 per cent – meaning Dudley's residents are now more likely to see themselves as British than English.

It was a similar story across England as a whole, with 44 per cent identifying as English in the year to December 2021, down from 52 per cent in the year to June 2016.

The proportion of people identifying as British has increased over the same period – rising from 49 per cent to 59 per cent.

Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, said: "Most people in England have two flags and two identities, English and British. The strength of feeling for them ebbs and flows according to events – we will see a lot of Union Jacks during the Jubilee celebrations, but it will be the England flag flying for the World Cup in November.

"How you ask the question also affects the result. While seven in ten said they were English in the last census, that will flip this time round as 'British' now comes first on the tick-box list."