Nearly half of Britain's ethnic minorities, including people of Indian origin, believe that their experience of racism was a key barrier to a sense of belonging to Britain.

In a report titled Immigration, Faith, Cohesion by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, researchers found that nearly half of ethnic residents had experienced racial discrimination.

Also, 30 per cent of recent Muslim migrants said they had experienced religious discrimination.

The report looked at what factors contribute to, or undermine, community cohesion in the three urban areas in England [Images] with large migrant and Muslim populations. It was based on 319 interviews, carried out in 2006 and 2007, with people who originated from 40 different countries.

Most migrants felt that there was no conflict in having a sense of belonging to both Britain and their country of origin.

Sixty per cent of long-term Muslim residents born outside the United Kingdom said that the people most important to them were in Britain.

Hiranthi Jayaweera, the report's co-author, said: "Evidence suggests that it is discrimination and the perception of being unwelcome, rather than attachment to their country of origin, that reduces migrants' sense of belonging in Britain."