Many people have more than one ethnic background, heritage or identity. If ethnicity is relevant to your work, then it’s important to use the specific terms that the individual prefers to be called. For example: 

• Farid, who has a White European and Arab ethnic background... 
• Alex describes themself as Mixed Black 

Generally, at Imperial we recommend: 

• capitalising the term ‘Mixed’ 
• using ‘Mixed ethnic background’, ‘Mixed heritage’, or ‘Mixed ethnic group’ if you need to use a general term, for example if processing demographic data. 

We recommend avoiding: 

• the use of ‘Mixed race’, ‘Biracial’ and ‘Multiracial’. However, keep in mind that some people may prefer and use these terms to describe themselves. If they do, use these terms in your communications, but explain to the reader this is the case. For example:  
  
  • Mary, who identifies as Mixed race, says that… 

Ethnoreligious groups

Ethnoreligious groups are a grouping of people who share a common religious and ethnic background. There are many ethnoreligious groups in the world, including:

• Druze
• Mennonites
• Alawites
• Yazidis

As with all group descriptors, it is vital to ask the people you are writing about how they prefer to be identified.

Below we look into the example of Jewish people to explore in more detail the topic of describing people based on their ethnoreligious background.

Jewish people – an ethnoreligious group

It is important to ask a Jewish person what their preferred identifier is. 

To be Jewish is both an ethnic and religious grouping, as it describes an ethnic group (Jews) who practice a specific religion (Judaism). This means self-identification for Jewish people can be a multifaceted consideration.

For example: 

• People from any ethnic background can convert and become Jewish and identify as such. 
• Non-religious people, and even people practicing other faiths, can and do identify as Jewish. 
• Jewish people are a minority in almost every country in the world, which can lead to many differing preferences on how to identify. 

Therefore, as with any ethnic or ethnoreligious group, it is important to ask a Jewish person what their preferred identifier is. 

For example:  

• Though most Jews in the UK would identify with the expression "British Jew", others would reject identifying as British or Jewish and exclusively use one identifier.
• Others may use the term "Jewish British person", depending on their preference. 
• Others may simply prefer the term "Jew".
• There are various other terms used to describe Jewish people, including former slurs which have been reclaimed by the community. However, it is best to avoid these terms due to confusion and unintentional upset that can occur.