How diverse and inclusive is morris dancing?

​Measuring diversity and inclusion in groups and organisations is complex and multi-faceted. Many diversity and inclusion issues were too onerous to try and measure in a survey such as the Morris Census in which the respondent is responding on behalf of the whole side. Measuring diversity and inclusion in more detail than was possible in the Morris Census would be valuable for understanding how diverse and inclusive sides are.

Nonetheless, in addition to the protected characteristics of age and gender, the Morris Census also measured the number of side members with two further protected characteristics: ethnic minority background and disability.

Since 2017, the Morris Census has asked sides about the number of members that are 'from an ethnic group that is not white'.  The wording was amended slightly in 2023 from the previous 'from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) (i.e. non-white) background', which was used in the 2017 and 2020 surveys.

The proportion of members from an ethnic group that is not white remains very low, at 1.2 per cent. This is equivalent to around 150 members nationally. However, this has increased over time, from 0.7 per cent in 2017 to 0.8 per cent in 2020 and 1.2 per cent in 2023. Morris is making progress at becoming more ethnically diverse, despite having much lower ethnic minority representation than the 18 per cent of the UK population from an ethnic group that is not white, according to the 2021 Census.

For the first time in 2023, the Morris Census also asked about disability. On average, 3.4 per cent of members of morris sides have a disability, compared to 17 per cent in the general population (according to the 2021 UK Census). Members of sides in Open Morris are more likely to have a disability than members of sides in other organisations, at 6.3 per cent.